When the Tables Turn
by litakino22
Summary: UPDATED! Briseis and Achilles recounting the events of the movie, in my version that goes into more detail and is centers them and the quirks of their relationship, because you can't rush love, people! Chapter 13 is up!
1. Brave Words From a Bad Situation

            Hey everyone!  This is my first Troy fic, but hopefully I can think of more!  I really was interested in the storyline of Briseis and Achilles, so this story goes into a little more detail, and has an alternate ending to the film version.  It starts right away after Briseis has been captured.  (I actually haven't seen the movie yet, so if I'm totally off, please tell me so in your review! Thanks!)

Oh, and I don't own anything from Troy besides a few of the warriors names.

'_this is a thought'_

"this is speech"

            '_What have I done?….  What crime-what hateful, sinful crime could I have done to make you punish me in such a way Apollo?…  It is no matter.  It is easy to see he has condemned me for some evil…  Perhaps it was my brief hate filled thoughts on Helen….  There is naught I can do now but to pray that I am killed swiftly by these men.  What use they could possibly find for me I do not know, but if I am to be killed in front of my own kin by Achilles, as I had heard earlier, then I shall die with the dignity of a warrior.  I only hope that it does not bring pain for my cousins to see my death…  These barbarians wish to show their strength by killing the innocent, so be it.'_

            "Brave thoughts from such a quiet girl.  Her heart is lonely.  I can see it through all her courage.  She doesn't want to die, and yet she accepts death.  She wants to go back to her humble life.  She wishes to return to her beloved Apollo, the only one it seems she loves and yet has never met him.  Foolish Briseis!  You care so greatly for those around you, that you have left your own heart to perish."  Aphrodite contemplated the situation that was unfolding before her.  "If she will not listen to her heart, then I shall make her!"  The conniving goddess atop Mt. Olympus gave an evil laugh at her own genius.  She had grown bored from all the comings and goings of this silly war.  So much hate.  It could really get on ones nerves especially when you are the goddess of love.

            '_Bartering over my life, this is what I have succumbed to?  Being tossed over to different men as if I am a satchel of breadcrumbs.  I have not even used my legs in days.  I fear if I try to run, then I will fall…  I wonder, which of these dirty scoundrels is Achilles?  No, he would not be here.  He thinks too highly of himself.'_

            "What in the gods' names is creating such noise?!"  Achilles demanded, sparing no expense to get across the point of his annoyance.  He trudged to the center of the battlefield where Briseis was being fought over as if she were property to own.  '_Oh no.  Not another captive.  Do they have no decency whatsoever?  I can admit to enjoying my share of pleasurable company, but it has its limits.'  _

            He passed straight into the center of the circle.  Without a single word to anyone, he picked up the girl, who seemed to be unconscious.  The man, Noptimus, who has taken momentary ownership over her called after him.  "Give 'er back Achilles!  You ruin our fun!  You'll 'ave ta fight fer 'er if you ant 'er!"

Achilles rolled his eyes with his back turned.  Holding Briseis over his shoulder with one arm, he reached for his knife with the other.  Achilles always kept this knife hidden away in his breastplate in case any of the warriors acted up.  Barely making a turn, he threw it with accuracy that screamed with the skill from years of practice.  He hit just at the gap between armor on the shoulder.  Not even with a second glance, he turned toward his tent.

            _'Oh of all the things to see when one awakes!  A warrior- no!  I mustn't put the picture in my mind.  I cannot even think it.  Let us just say, my pure eyes have never seen such sin.  He must have though of me as being asleep, or he would never have removed his armor and such in front of me.  Oh, there the picture is again!_' 

            Achilles had thought she was still unconscious.  He lowered his battle-worn body into the bath that had been waiting for him before he straightened out the 'disturbance.'  His eyes, sharpened by war, detected the girl he had already forgotten in the corner.  Prepared for a possible ambush, he jumped from the basin to reach for his sword.

            Briseis released a cry when the blade of the sword touched her delicate neck.  His face relaxed.  "So you are awake?" he asked the obvious question.  Her answer was a gasp at his unclothed body, covering her eyes, and turning away.  He raised an eyebrow but it quickly fell, and he grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist.  "What's your name?" he inquired as if nothing ever happened.  She slowly turned her face back.  Achilles reached forward to brush the hair from her face.  She fumed at this.  Briseis reared back and hand and slapped him across the face with all her might.

            _'Now I've done it.'  _The only thing she could think of was to run.  She stood uneasily and ran to the leather flap door.  She was followed closely by Achilles.

            Briseis swung around the outside of Achilles' tent and grasped a support pole.  Her heart pounded faster than a newborn rabbit's.  It shrieked for a rest, but she dared not stop more than a few moments for she knew Achilles would not go through the day without someone to wait on his every whim, as she figured that is what she would be used for.

            Indeed, shortly after this thought, Briseis heard the clank of his metal clad boots.  _'Some warrior he must be, I could have heard his steps from one of the far off tents.'  _In any case, she swiftly moved around to the other side of the tent.

            Achilles was nothing like what Briseis had expected.  He seemed kind from what she had heard so far, and it was her guess that he was the one who rescued her from the humiliation on the battlefield.  She had thought of him as an ugly bulky brute, but he was nothing of the sort.  Dare she even say handsome?  '_No!  Men are evil, I have devoted myself to Apollo, he is the only man I will ever need!'_

'_This man is terrible.  This brutal killer is against everything I stand for.'  _She reassured herself.  '_He is the one who attacked my cousin's armies.  He disgusts me!  Then why does my heart flutter so?  I've heard so much of his cold-hearted killings; I thought he was not capable of caring for anyone besides himself.  Why then, does it seem that he does care for another, me?'_

The sound of Achilles' feet had finally stopped.  Briseis slowly looked over to the front of the tent to find no one.  She released a silent sigh of relief as she crept back to the front of the tent.  _'Achilles must have gone to look for me elsewhere.'  _No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, when a large, metal object hit her square in the face…

**Teaser: **(hehehe, I love to tease you!)

            "Careful of your words priestess, not many men in this camp would show you as much compassion as I."

            "Care would be wasted on you."

As you can see, there is a lot of thinking in this, hmmm.  I think right now they're thinking about how long it took me to type this….  Anyways, so far it's almost the same as the movie, like I said, I haven't seen it but I've heard about it.  So, don't hurt me!  It'll change, cuz I can't make the "loving" scenes as "passionate."  Sorry, no lemons, I'm upholding the PG rating!  Please read and review!


	2. Scares and Poisoned Food

Chapter 2: Scares and Poisoned Food

Not the greatest chapter title, but I didn't want to give too much away!  Your welcome!  Just kidding…

Disclaimer: I don't own Briseis, Achilles- let's just say, for this chapter, I don't own anything!

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            Briseis collapsed to the ground, covering her head.  Figuring someone was attacking her or had thrown something her way, she prepared herself for any pain she may experience.  Achilles gave a small laugh at the cowering girl at his feet.

            She looked up.  Achilles fully clothed again.  Perhaps he was more clever than she once thought.  He offered her his hand, which she quickly turned down.  Briseis walked solemnly back into the tent.  He gave a satisfied smile and followed her in.

            He found her huddled back in the corner again.  Reaching for a tray of fruit, he placed it in front of her on the dirt floor.  She released her head from her hands.  Achilles reached for a grape then walked away.  He settled down on a pile of lavishly decorated pillows.  After inspecting the grape as if looking for something on it, he popped it in his mouth.  Achilles leaned back, eyes closed, obviously deep in thought of something.

            _'Can I trust anything this man gives me?' _she tortured herself to keep her hands from the appetizing display.

            After what seemed like forever, Briseis heard "nearly finished by now, I'm sure?"  Achilles asked, not even bothering to open his eyes.  She wasn't.  "I suppose, now that you've been fed, you'll want to watch me train with the men for the battle?"  She didn't.

            "Do you intend to leave all of conversations one sided." He opened his right eye.  "Because if so, I may as well hand you back over to the soldiers…."  His voice trailed off along with a smirk in her direction.

            "NO!"  she cried, suddenly pulled from her hunger trance.  Achilles was taken aback by the first word she ever spoke to him.

            "Good.  Now then, let us start with you name."  Briseis looked away again.  She said nothing, but her mind was swimming.

            '_Should I lie?  Telling him my first name would perhaps be no harm...'_

            "Now, I thought we just agreed we were past all this," he prodded.

            "Briseis," she replied quietly.

            "Well Briseis, the food is not poisoned for I just ate some if you hadn't noticed."  Briseis still wasn't sure.  She locked eyes with him.  Such piercing eyes.  What an icy shade of blue….. She screamed from her daydream when a rough hand grasped her chin.  Achilles forced her mouth open and placed a grape on her tongue.  You need…to-errrr-eat…. especially in this…h-heat!" he struggled to force a swallow.  '_She has quite a spirit.  Her company might be more enjoyable than I thought.'_

Briseis managed to spit out the grape as well as "How dare you?!"  She reared her hand back for another slap, but this time it was caught by Achilles'.  She squirmed against his strong arm.  She turned to look at him again and was startled by how close his face was.  She was unaware of her cheeks turning bright crimson, but Achilles was. 

            Briseis struggled once more.  He finally let go.  Taking advantage of this- "WRETCH!!!" she screamed.

            "Careful of your words, priestess.  Not many men in this camp would show you as much compassion as I."

            "Care would be wasted on you.  Wait, how did you know of my work as a priestess?"

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Well it definitely is shorter than the first chapter, but I felt like I needed to get this one going.  Please read and review!


	3. Trust First

-Hey, I am SO SORRY that it took so long, but our internet has been down for almost 2 weeks. Excuses excuses, I know!

-OK everyone, here's the deal. I read some of the reviews and went back to re-read the last chapter, and now I realize where you're all coming from now. The whole food-Achilles-Briseis scene (lol, I already have a name for it!) _did _sound a little more violent than I had planned. I thought it was necessary because I wanted the whole faces getting too close thing to happen. See, I'm trying to ease the whole romance in. So, sorry that chapter 2 kinda sucked because they weren't exactly in character. On with chapter 3 and hopefully you'll like this one a little better…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Review (since it's been a while):

"Careful of your words priestess. Not many men in this camp would show you as much compassion as I."

"Care would be wasted on you. Wait, how did you know that I am a priestess of Apollo?"……………………………………………………………………...

Chapter 3: Trust First

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"It was simply a guess, but now that I know it's true…." Achilles looked into her face with a new respect that hadn't been there before. '_She intrigues me. Never have I met such a spirited girl.'_

Briseis feeling already exposed, wondered if there was any point in keeping so secretive anymore. "Lord Achilles?" He turned to look at her. "Tell me was my temple-burned to the ground?" She struggled with the terrible words.

"Do you not know what happened?" She shook her head. Achilles sighed, knowing this would not be good news to her ears. "The short answer is yes," he answered bluntly. He continued sternly "It was necessary for th…" his voice faltered at the sight of her tears. He knelt before her and wrapped his arms around her. Her tear-stained face showed her shock from her wide-eyes right down to her slightly gaping mouth. She was unsure whether to return the embrace or to recoil. Instead Achilles pulled away. She gave him a smile, however, to show that she had appreciated his comfort.

"May I ask you something that might be difficult to answer priestess?" She was far too aware of how close he was. "To what can you owe you strength? Never before have I seen a woman with so much courage."

Briseis contemplated her answer for a moment. "I was brought up to accept nothing but the best. I and my cousins Hector, Paris, and Cassandra were taught in the ways of royalty, to want only the best for ourselves. Perhaps this teaching is what led Paris to claim Helen for himself… Hector used to teach me some tricks he would learn with the daggers of his forefathers. He wasn't even afraid of getting into trouble, for women are not supposed to know how to use knives so well."

Achilles' face tensed for a moment, but Briseis hadn't noticed. '_Hector? She seems fond of her cousin. I would assume that she does not know I was hired to kill him in the most inhumane way. Curse Agamemnon! Never getting his own hands dirty, doesn't want a bad mark on his reputation. I hold nothing against this Hector, but I cannot escape my duties.' _"So you have some skill with the blade?" he changed the subject.

"That is right." There was a long extent of silence.

"Well, it's dark already. You sleep here," he added hastily as he pointed to the collection of pillows he had sat on mere hours before.

"Here?"

"Well of course. You didn't expect that I would make you sleep in this corner on the dirt?" he replied smiling.

Achilles lay down in his bed and blew out two candles at his bedside. Briseis, surprised at how dark it really had become, stumbled towards the pillows. Even in the dark, she could hear Achilles stifle a laugh. She was lost in thought. She sunk into the pillows. She filled her nostrils with his scent. It made her feel really comforted for the first time that day. '_He called me a woman. I've always been called a girl because of my small stature… This Achilles….. I think I can trust him…'_

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OK. Chapter three is over, and I know it was short for having to wait so long. Please review this chapter so I'll know if you've accepted my apologies at my last chapter. I'm not sure when the first kiss will be, but I assure you, it's coming ;). I'm also going to go into my version pretty soon, because so far it's been mostly like the version in the movie…


	4. Thoughts of Feelings

OK, hey there, again! I originally had made this in part of a bigger chapter, but decided to put it in it's own separate short (very very short) chapter since it doesn't exactly fit. This whole chapter is entirely Briseis POV (so all the thoughts are hers) and takes place right after the last chapter, so don't worry, you hopefully won't get lost.

Chapter 4 (technically) Thoughts of Feelings 

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She awoke many times that night expecting to be hunched over in her little corner, but she wasn't. She was sharing a tent with Achilles.

'_The most powerful and dangerous warrior of them all? Not likely. He had shown me such generosity. Could there really be more to this man than I had once thought. He was rough with me at times, that much is still true, but he showed me respect also. Was that respect, or something else? Could it be that he- no. Surely this wasn't… It couldn't be that he-he was showing… love. Then again, perhaps it is I, Briseis who has more than I thought. Could he find me beautiful? With my tangled hair? No, not tangles, curls. Silky, rich, brown curls. But with my tiny, thin body? Not that either. What I have is a figure. My waist is small, but there are hips there nonetheless. Maybe, he does find me somewhat attractive. Yes, Briseis, you are beautiful enough to be loved by Achilles.' _

With these comforting thoughts, Briseis finally got her well deserved rest.

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Yes, I know that it was overwhelmingly long, but thanks for enduring it! I'm going to use this as a response to your reviews and questions and such. First off, thanks to all the reviewers, I asked for your honest opinion and you all gave it! Please continue reviewing, and if you read it and never reviewed, please do so. cough, Gina! cough

Baphomet,StarAngel Caelum SunSoar, Elle, SarahMo, Nat, Lady Scribe of Avandell, Lili, and Fairy-tale-princess: Thanks so much for the positive reviews, and I hope that you enjoy the rest of the story!

Lisa Midnight Oceans: Well, I'm sorry I can't post fast enough for ya! No, I'm just playing, I'm wokring on posting faster, never fear!

Anya: Hey, I know where you're coming from, I hate that too. Writing as fast as I always want to read is harder than I thought, but I'll try to get faster.

OrliNkeira: Hey, you must like PotC, me too… Anyways, I agree that my story would probably be better if I had seen the movie, but for someone who hasn't seen it, I'm not too bad, right?crickets chirp ok, I kinda screwed meself on that one, but this is my idea of what could have happened, so it probably shouldn't be exactly like the movie right?crickets never mind..

Mrs M: don't exactly know what to say, but OK, I will….

Via: Well, uhhh…. Sorry, I guess I didn't notice…. Great excuse, huh?

Nora17: My apologies, you're talking about ch. 2 I'm sure, yeah, that chapter kinda sucked. You all can say it now, cuz I just did! You know you want to!

Diana D.: I'm hopefully going to see Troy soon, thanks for the suggestion, if you liked the movie, you should read the story by Adele Garas, it was good.

Siusan:  Thanks, and I think I would like the Briseis/Achilles story. Briseis kinda reminds me of meself, though, I'm not living in Troy, and I'm not a priestess, and I was never captured by anyone, and……

OK, now that I've done that, I feel good! Sorry if I missed anyone, say so in your next review and I'll include it in my next chapter. Remember, reviews make me write, so if you want me to write faster, review more, and thanks again to those who do!


	5. Talk of the Heart

Hey guys! We're bringing in a character in this chapter, oohhh, who could it be? The suspense is killing me and I wrote it, ok maybe not, but keep reading dang-it! On with the chapter!

Oh yeah!

"Speech"

'_Thought'_

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Chapter 5: Talk of the Heart

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Briseis rose from the pillows slowly the next morning. It had been one of the best sleeps in quite some time, despite the fact that she was slightly restless for the first half of the night. At first glance around the tent's interior, she noticed two things. 1- the sun had already risen and was shining brightly through gaps in the tent's fabric. 2- Achilles had already left… '_Achilles is gone_?!' Briseis dashed out the leather strap front door. It probably was not the best thing to do if you were worried about being kidnapped. She was met by a rather worried looking young man. She didn't seem to notice in her fear. "Briseis, is something wrong?" Her eyes grew wide. "Briseis?" he repeated. He moved towards her looking concerned. She gasped and backed away into the tent once more. Much to her dismay, he followed.

"Please! Leave me be, I beg of you. I don't want any trouble!"

"What?" he asked incredulously. He paused for a moment in thought. "Miss, I mean you no harm! I was stationed here by Achilles himself to protect you naught but a few hours ago. No one shall harm you, or kidnap you. Not while I guard this tent, if that is what you were thinking." He stared deep into her eyes in means to comfort her, but it only succeeded in making her more uncomfortable.

Deep blue eyes-she recognized that stare! "What is your name boy?" He winced slightly at being called a boy. He was barely younger than Briseis, but there was youthfulness glimmering in his eyes and his face still had its child-like innocence. (Ok, before some people beat me up, I'll tell you who he is. I'm sure some of you have guessed already, or scrolled down just to find out!)

"Patroclus," he replied finally. (And the winners of the guessing contest are…) Of course. Even though he was somewhat of an extended relative, his inheritance of the family features was anything but extended. The sandy-blonde hair, chiseled jawbone, and those ocean-mist eyes. She knew that. She had sensed a resemblance to someone, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Well Patroclus, I am terribly sorry if I startled you, and I'm also sorry that you had to miss your training session on my account." Briseis had always hated being a burden to anyone, which was partly the reason why she seemed so independent.

"Oh don't worry, I didn't have to train today," he said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Oh," she said puzzled. "Then what has called his attention that has caused him to leave so early?"

"_He _is training, but I am not. Whether it be by his stubbornness or perhaps care for me," he looked out the door into the distance and finished the sentence in almost a whisper, "he won't let me fight."

Briseis caught the obvious pain in his eyes immediately. "I am sure it was the latter." She noticed that she was defending a man she hardly even knew. "Achilles is a stubborn man to be sure, but I am also sure that deep in his heart, he cares very much for those close to him. You will have your chance to prove yourself just as he does. One day it will happen, and you will realise it was worth the wait."

Patroclus looked up at her to meet her eyes before she, in turn, looked down. '_No wonder Achilles finds this woman worth protecting.' _"Do you think that you are one of those people?"

Briseis cocked her head to one side with a confused look. "One of which people? She asked uncertainly.

"One of the people who are close to Achilles' heart?" he rephrased.

"We shall wait an see, won't we? It's far too soon to tell." Briseis blushed at how arrogant that last statement sounded. She made it sound like there was some sort of trick or sport to winning a spot in his heart. "If I do, he'd never admit it now would he? As you said, he is far too stubborn about such things." There was an extent of silence.

"Well, I'd best be getting back to my guard duties."

"Right. I think it best that you say nothing of this conversation to Achilles," she replied smugly.

"I won't if you won't" he smiled. Briseis returned the favor with a smile at her own devilry and nodded in agreement. He left, still smiling and let the flap on the door blow sand up.

Briseis shut her eyes and let the breeze pass over her face, despite the fact that the cirt stuck to her sweaty cheeks. _'Patroclus is like Achilles in many ways, but thank goodness he does not share all of Achilles' personality traits. Thank Apollo that he is here for I find him much easier to talk to than Achilles.'_

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Don't freak! I'm not going to suddenly switch it to Briseis--Patroclus. I'm just going to make them friends, I swear to the gods! As you may have noticed, this chapter is a bit longer than any of the other ones, and as I said, it was longer when I left the part from last chapter in… Here's the deal behind that… I've been completely neglecting my other story, and working on two at the same time is kinda out of the question… So, I'm taking a break from this story to work on the other one. It's only for a little while, then I'm right back to this one! I put it at the end of the chapter so you would read it first… Sorry about this, but the other story came first! Oh, and if you like Sailor Moon, then read the other story while you're waiting! Sorry again, no flames about this please! Just to prove to you that I'm not lying…..

Teaser:

"I have said it before Briseis, you are foolish! You do not see that the two of you are fated. You do not know what love is yet, but you must realise that it is not love you feel for Patroclus! Aphrodite does not make up these things. That fluttering in your heart when you are with Achilles, I am there! That is love!"

Yes, I forgot that Aphrodite was originally in this! That basically gave away the whole love thing, but c'mon, if you read this, you already knew that! You're smart people, don't try to hide it!


	6. Too Close for Comfort part 1

Hey Hey Hey! I'm back, but you didn't really care about me, just the story, right?……. Either way, I took a break to work out some writer's block on my other story, and in turn worked out some mental problems I was having in this one. So, here we are with a brand new updated chapter! Alright, on with it then!

**::::::::::::::::::::::Chapter 6: Too Close For Comfort (Part 1):::::::::::::::::::::::**

_Later That Day……_

Briseis didn't let her curiosity get the best of her that day. She would have loved to take a look around the tent. Look through the cabinets in the corner, but she thought better of it. Now was not the time to go digging through your enemies' things. Instead, she took a nap on the pillows she had rested on the night before. Knowing now that Patroclus was guarding the entrance, and having realized later on that no one would dare enter Achilles' tent without his permission, she slept with ease.

She awoke shortly before Achilles entered. He came in dirty with beads of sweat collecting on his forehead. Briseis couldn't help but think of how handsome he looked this way. With his refreshing eyes that made her shiver every time they looked into her own honey brown ones. How his golden hair remained perfectly positioned around his face despite how dirty it-wait, what was she thinking? She didn't even know him. She had hardly even spoken to him much at all, and what words that were exchanged were not very memorable or pleasant, for that matter. Why then, did it seem that he was so attractive to her….. She shook her head slightly when he turned around. "Hand me a rag from the top drawer over there," he pointed casually without even looking. Briseis obeyed quickly and silently, for it seemed that he was in quite an irritable mood. He ran a calloused hand through the very same hair that Briseis had been silently admiring moments before. Her eyes followed that same hand as it slipped down his body then out to reach for the rag that was in her considerably smaller hands.

He dunked it in a small pail of cool water and ran it over his face, then to his neck. Briseis stood silently, not sure what to do or say next. He raised his eyes to look into hers. She quickly looked to her dirty feet, and she pretended to examine a small cut on her right big toe. Still feeling his gaze on her, she shifted uncomfortably. She finally heard the sand beneath his feet shift as he turned around again. Briseis hated this silence, but hated to speak to Achilles as well. Her breath caught in her throat, and her mind always went blank. Briseis couldn't comprehend this feeling that she had around him. Never before had she found it hard to talk to anyone. Then again, she had never been forced to talk to a ruthless killer before either. So perhaps that was the reason.

"My cousin told me that you gave each other a bit of a scare earlier today." Achilles began what he thought would be, yet another, one-sided conversation.

"Yes," Briseis replied softly to his surprise. _'Which never would have happened in the first place if you would have simply told me that you would leave every morning!_' She screamed in her head, but Briseis was never as brave on the outside as she was on the inside. "We quickly settled the matter," she said trying to keep the conversation going in a positive direction for once.

"I see," He replied awkwardly. "Perhaps someday I will bring you along with me to one of the training sessions," he suggested.

Briseis was slightly startled by this proposition. She could take its meaning in a number of different ways. One way is that he thought her weak and didn't think she could take care of herself; which was certainly not true! Or maybe he meant that he was annoyed by her presence and wanted to toss her back to the warriors. Then again, maybe he meant that he enjoyed being with her, and wanted to be with her more often. None of these ideas pleased her all that much, but there was no way of knowing which one he meant, or if he was thinking something completely different at the time.

"I'm going to go speak to Patroclus again, and then I was asked to meet with Agamemnon. I won't be back until after dark, but Patroclus will be here with you." He added the last part quickly to reassure her. "I would come back sooner, but Agamemnon can talk for ages about absolutely nothing." He said with a smirk, and he left.

She sat on the floor, and heard a short murmured conversation between Achilles and Patroclus. She thought how odd it was that someone like Achilles would fight for a man that he hates in the first place. She had heard stories about Agamemnon as well, and he didn't exactly sound like a very likeable man. Was Achilles after his honor that much that he would fight in this war without reasonable cause? Or does he simply enjoy fighting and killing _that much_? Suddenly, she heard a disturbance outside to break her from her thoughts. Expecting Patroclus to come in to talk again, she stood, but instead of the kind face she had hoped for, a much uglier and angrier face emerged through the leather flaps. Another came in holding a struggling Patroclus's arms behind his back. He gave her an apologetic look as the other man grabbed her arms. She attempted to kick him, but another warrior entered and grabbed her legs.

Briseis could hardly tell where they were going throught all her struggling as she was half dragged, half carried towards the largest tent. Agamemnon's tent.

Meanwhile inside………

"Apparently you've won some great victory." Achilles said.

"Ah, perhaps you didn't notice. The Trojan beach belonged to Priam in the morning. It belongs to Agamemnon in the afternoon." He replied arrogantly.

"You can have the beach. I didn't come here for sand." Achilles said thoughtlessly.

"No, you came because you want your name to last through the ages. A great victory was won today --but the victory is not yours. Kings did not kneel to Achilles. Kings did not bring homage to Achilles." Agamemnon replied coldly.

Achilles voice began to rise. "The battle was won by soldiers. The soldiers know who fought."

"History remembers the kings, not the soldiers. Tomorrow we'll batter down the gates of Troy. I'll build monuments to victory on every island of Greece, and carve Agamemnon in the stone. My name will last forever. Your name is written in the sand, for the waves to wash away." He said, raising his voice just as much to match Achilles'.

"Careful King of Kings. First you need the victory." Achilles put mocking emphasis on using his name. He turned to leave, having nothing more to say to this man.

"One more thing, son of Peleus." Agamemnon said with a smirk. Achilles stopped dead, but didn't turn to face the king.

"I don't want to hear my father's name from your mouth." He raged. Neither tried to hide their obvious loathing for each other anymore. Not after what was said.

"The first pick of the battle's spoils always goes to the commander. Your men sacked the temple of Apollo, yes?"

"You want gold? Take it, it's my gift, to honor your courage. Take what you want." He replied in a slightly calmer manner.

"I already have. Aphareus! Haemon!" The smirk returned to his face.

Two battle-scarred soldiers, Aphareus and Haemon, drag Briseis into the tent.There is a cut on her lip, and her face has new bruises coming into view. "Ah, the spoils of war. Tonight I'll have her give me a bath. And then-who knows?" Achilles draws his sword, and turns to the soldiers who hold Briseis.

"I have no quarrel with you, brothers. But you'll never see home again if you don't let her go." He says confidently. The soldiers hesitate, but then draw their swords in challenge. Achilles advances towards them, striking fear into their eyes.

"Guards!" Agamemnon rises from his seat. They follow his command and rush towards the invincible warrior, swords drawn.

Achilles is surrounded, but he calmly raises his sword.

"Stop!" Briseis let's herself be known. Everyone stops to look at her. "Too many men have died today." She speaks with hidden strength and authority, that when she scans the room, its inhabitants find it hard to meet her gaze. Her eyes finally rest on Achilles, who is the only one who can actually look at her in return. "If killing is your only talent, then that is your curse. But I don't want anyone dying for me."

Everyone remains quiet until Agamemnon laughs. "Mighty Achilles, silenced by a slave girl."

"She's not a slave." Achilles snapped.

"She is now." Agamemnon replied coolly, never letting go of his satisfied smirk. Achilles' eyes flared with anger.

"Before my time is done, King of Kings, I will look down on your corpse and smile." He said mercilessly. With that said, Achilles turns on his heel (ironically said, I know) and left the tent.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::End::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

What's going to happen?! Will I be nice and let the fated lovers be together? Why are there no indents (seriously, I don't know, could u tell me?)? Why the heck did I not put the content from the teaser in?! I don't know, I'm just a stupid writer! But I can't just go telling u things about my story before I post them! Patience! Well, I hope u enjoyed it oh, and I think I got most of the quotes from the movie fairly well… No, I still haven't seen it, arggh, but I found a site w/ the script! YESSSS! I can die happy! R&R y'all! Thanks 4 reading.


	7. Too Close for Comfort part 2

"Stop!" Briseis let's herself be known. Everyone stops to look at her. "Too many men have died today." She speaks with hidden strength and authority, that when she scans the room, its inhabitants find it hard to meet her gaze. Her eyes finally rest on Achilles, who is the only one who can actually look at her in return. "If killing is your only talent, then that is your curse. But I don't want anyone dying for me."

Everyone remains quiet until Agamemnon laughs. "Mighty Achilles, silenced by a slave girl."

"She's not a slave." Achilles snapped.

"She is now." Agamemnon replied coolly, never letting go of his satisfied smirk. Achilles' eyes flared with anger.

"Before my time is done, King of Kings, I will look down on your corpse and smile." He said mercilessly. With that said, Achilles turns on his heel (ironically said, I know) and left the tent.

I figured I'd review somewhat since it's been SO LONG since I updated, not including the Author's Note-that doesn't count! I made myself a huge cup of hot chocolate so I figure that should buy me a good hour or so of writing time…. In other words, hopefully you'll all forgive me for being a big fat liar about my posting time, and I'll write an extra long one for ya.

Anyways, on with the next chapter

**Too Close For Comfort II**

Achilles stormed past groups of bewildered soldiers and thrust apart the flaps to his tent. 'How dare he!?' His thoughts fumed. Achilles sighed deeply to calm himself, but cursed under his breath before letting go of his anger. He tried to keep a cool head about the situation or he might not ever save Briseis. After Agamemnon was…._ done_ with her, he would most likely kill her for being Trojan. Achilles couldn't let that happen, he swore to protect her. Slave girl or not, Achilles didn't give up on his word very easily, no matter what the consequences. It was part of his definition of honor.

"Out of the way!" A gruff voice yelled near Achilles' tent. He looked up as the voice approached. Two burly guards dragged a slightly beaten Patroclus into Achilles' presence.

"You can have it back." They tossed Patroclus, who barely moved, at his feet. "The King has no use for him." They both laughed at the boy's cowering figure and left. Achilles knelt before his beloved cousin and attempted to raise the boy to his feet, but he recoiled as though he was still being dragged and tossed about. Achilles' crisp blue stare softened at the sight of his own cousin in so much pain, he vowed then and there, that he _would _be a man of his word…. To Agamemnon. "I'll see that bastard dead." He whispered to his cousin.

Achilles exited the tent once again. He had cleaned Patroclus as best as he could and laid him on his bed. He wouldn't be needing it. He had elsewhere to be tonight.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Meanwhile::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"So it seems that one of my soldiers has quite and infatuation with you." Agamemnon spoke to Briseis who sat in the corner of the room. She simply glared at him. "Can I assume that the feeling is mutual?" he smirked.

She shot him another acid stare. "No, you may not." She lashed quietly.

"Oh? So he hasn't put on the old charm yet, has he? Most little girls would be in his bed by now. He must be losing his touch." He replied snidely. Briseis swallowed hard. She had to keep him talking to keep him from killing her out of spite for the royal family, or worse….

"If you hate him so, then why do you intend to do the same to me?" She hoped this question could keep him occupied.

"Clever little wench aren't you? Well, I suppose that's possible, but I have all the time in the world. And I have enough guards to give that time. I'll keep your little lover at bay, so I can have my fun."

It took every ounce of strength not to gasp loudly at that last statement. And as he moved toward her, having nothing more to say, she was sure that she would rather have been given the chance at death.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::The Next Day:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Achilles had spent the night looking for Odysseus. Hoping that his old friend could keep his head straight, but he could not find him before the fatigue set in. It was no matter. He threw himself onto the mound of pillows and went to sleep, only to awake the next morning to find Patroclus missing. Achilles wasn't worried so much as to go look for him. He knew Patroclus was a man now, and could take care of himself well enough. He would have to prove himself if he wanted to fight in this war.

Achilles needed time to think. Think on his actions, what to do next? He relaxed the tension in his muscles as best as he could with a deep, cleansing breath. He laid back on the pillows once more, deep in thought. How to rescue Briseis?…….. "My lord?"

Achilles recognized that voice. The only one who ever called him 'lord' was-

"Eudorus?"

"My lord," he repeated out of respect, "the army is marching."

"Let them march. We stay." Achilles replied coolly.

"But the men –" Eudorus started, but Achilles turned and glared at him. Eudorus's voice faltered under his gaze. "-- the men

are ready."

"Agamemnon spat on my honor yesterday. I promised that girl her safety and he stole her from me. Let him fight the Trojans

today." Achilles said. Patroclus, who had been standing quietly behind Eudorus, exchanged a look with him just before he left. Eudorus bowed to Achilles walked away to leave them alone to talk. Patroclus stood awkwardly in Achilles' doorway, waiting for him to speak.

Achilles picked up his favorite sword from its sheath and balanced it on the palm of his hand. "When I was very small I saw my

father kill a man with his bare hands." Achilles said randomly. Patroclus didn't know how to respond to this and just stared blankly at his cousin. "There is so much blood in a human body." Achilles flipped the sword in the air and caught it by the hilt. He seemed to be examining it before he spoke again. "You're ready to fight, Patroclus?" Achilles asked.

"I am." Achilles rested his sword on the ground before he spoke to his cousin again.

"You're ready to kill?" Achilles rephrased. Patroclus hesitated. "At night I see their faces. All the men I've killed. I see them

standing on the far bank of the River Styx. They're waiting for me." Achilles sighed deeply. Patroclus stood completely still. He's never heard his cousin speak this way before.

"Some nights I walk among them. When I wake I can still hear their words. They say, 'welcome, brother.'" Achilles seemed

departed from this world for a moment, but the look quickly faded, and he turned to Patroclus. "Never hate the men you fight. All of us are mortals. All of us, wretched things, tumbled crying from our mother's loins. Only the gods are free from the sorrows of mortality." Achilles said.

"I hate no one, cousin." Patroclus replied cautiously.

"Good. I taught you how to fight. But I never taught you why to fight."

"I fight for you." Patroclus replied quickly.

Achilles smiled quickly. "And who will you follow when I'm gone?" Patroclus hesitated once again.

"Most soldiers battle for kings they've never met. They do what they're told; they die when they're told to die."

"Soldiers obey." Patroclus replied.

"We don't have much time to walk in the sun, Patroclus. After this life comes the underworld, an eternity telling stories to other

shades. Don't tell them you died following some fool's orders." Achilles said distantly once more.

"Then what should I tell them?" Patroclus was now confused beyond reckoning.

"Tell them your name. If your life has been worthy, they'll know the rest." Achilles clapped a hand on his cousin's shoulder. In

that moment there seemed to be an immeasurable amount of understanding between cousins.

"I must go now, cousin. I have much to speak about with Odysseus." Achilles took his leave from his tent.

Battlefield 

Hector and Ajax have been locked in a battle to the death for what seemed like years, even as far as the gods are concerned. All the soldiers, Greek and Trojan alike, could do nothing but watch as their noble leaders struck blow after blow to each other. After many of what seemed to be fatal wounds, the mighty Ajax fell to Hector, though. Agamemnon deliberated over whether to pull back his troops for the day. His army isn't so mighty without Achilles and his Myrmidons who stayed back at Achilles' command.

"They're laughing at me in Troy. Old Priam and the others are drunk on victory. They think I'll quit these shores, sail home at

first light." Agamemnon's usual overly confident tone was replaced with agitation.

"Maybe we should." Odysseus had always been clever one, but when it came to honor, he would rather save his life cunningly

than die a warriors death. Agamemnon spun to glare at Odysseus's remark as if it were more of a mortal sin than murdering his own parents, wife and children.

"And flee like a whipped dog?" he spat.

"The men believe we came here for Menelaus's wife. He won't be needing his wife anymore." Odysseus replied blandly.

Agamemnon's face inadvertently turned red with rage at this last remark. "My brother's blood still wets the grass and you insult

him?!"

"It's no insult to say a dead man is dead." Odysseus raised his voice at the old king's stubbornness.

"If we leave now we lose all credibility. If the Trojans can beat us so easily, how long before the Hittites invade?" Nestor, one of

Agamemnon's advisors, tries to regain stability in this conversation.

Odysseus thought for a moment before-"You're right. But if we stay, we stay for the right reasons." He turned back to

Agamemnon. "We would stay to protect Greece, not your pride. Your private battle with Achilles is destroying us."

"Achilles is one man. What good could he –" the King started.

"Hector is one man. Look what he did to us today." Odysseus cut him off.

"Hector fights for the honor of his country." Agamemnon paused in disgust, "Achilles fights only for himself."

"I don't care about the man's patriotism. I care about his ability to win battles." Odysseus took the side of his old friend.

"He's right. The men's morale is weak." Nestor added.

"Weak?" Agamemnon scoffed slightly, "They're ready to swim home!" He sighed for a moment and continued, "Even if I wanted

to make peace with Achilles, the man won't listen. He's just as likely to spear me as speak with me."

"I'll talk to him in the morning." Odysseus suggested. "He'll want the girl back." Odysseus remembered his talk with Achilles

that morning and prodded getting her back to him.

"He can take the damned girl. I haven't touched her."

"Where is she?" He asked hastily.

"I gave her to the men. They needed some amusement after today." Agamemnon replied as if it wasn't his concern at all.

Odysseus and Nestor exchanged worried looks.

Ahhh! I want to get this thing out ASAP, so I'm not gonna write much here for once! Liked it???? Hated it????? Loved it (hey I can dream!)???? Have no idea what I was talking about????? Tell me! REVIEW! (A/N) I had lots of trouble for some reason with the verb tenses cuz I got some quotes directly from the movie, so apologies for that. And I also used WAY more vulgar lang. This chapter than in any other for the same reason, trust me, I'm not the swearing type, but this is PG!


	8. Do You Enjoy Provoking Me?

Wow, I just realized how long that last chapter actually was compared to the rest of them, well I better make this one just as long to make ya'll happy. Ahhh yes, what a nice blizzardy day. You all know what that means, it's time to write! Ok, I think I've watched Troy enough to have a firm grasp on what I'm going to do with this story. I'm still in school, but I'm hoping to finish this story sometime during summer vacation. As for a sequel? I'll have to see exactly how my ending turns out first……………. >insert evil laughter and diabolical planning>

I don't own Troy or any of its characters

Chapter 8: Do You Enjoy Provoking Me?

* * *

…….Greek Camp-Night…….

* * *

Briseis found herself in a similar situation to the first encounter she had had with the Greeks. Even now she could feel her body fall limp as she became dead weight. She was once again being thrown back and forth between drunken men, but this time, she figured, Achilles could not come to her rescue in time. "Give her to me!" called a soldier. The others scoffed as a tall man pushed her in his direction. She stumbled into him and he wrapped his arms around her. She held her breath as long as possible to drown out the overwhelming odor of alcohol, but eventually gagged in air. A smaller man with a face similar to that of a rat's approached and clutched at her tattered dress. 

"What's this? A white virgin's robe! Well you won't be needing that much longer." He had a voice to match his face. Briseis struggled against the grip that bound her to her fate. The man only laughed harder at her ill attempt, until she hit him hard across the face. He growled slightly then spun around to the fire. Two other soldiers grabbed hold of her arms. She couldn't understand until the man turned to reveal a brand. Briseis gasped and struggled against their hold to no avail. She squeezed her eyes shut and her jaw tensed, waiting for the incoming pain, but it never came. She heard a great scream and someone yelled a slurred word. She felt the hands around her wrists leave and she started to collapse but was caught just before the ground by two strong arms. Briseis felt herself being hoisted into the air, but never once bothered to open her eyes. She leaned her head against the shoulder of her rescuer. She knew in heart that it was Achilles, but whether or not she was dreaming was something that needed to be determined.

Through the wavering noises she could hear through the throbbing in her skull, Briseis could have sworn that her savior had spoken to her, but she paid no heed. It was not to be rude, but the searing pain that pulsated through her head made her believe that any effort of this kind would surely make her faint.

Achilles carried Briseis back to his tent. She sobbed into the shoulder of his shirt the whole way there. When he entered the tent he set her down on a blanket. She immediately recoiled to the side of the tent. Her vision was foggy, but she knew where she was. It wasn't until her sight cleared however, that she saw Achilles standing with his back turned to her. He rotated to show a basin full of water in his hands. He knelt down beside her and set the basin into the sand. Briseis watched with weary eyes as he wrung out a rag and moved to wipe her face clean.

Briseis was aware of his good intent, but she no longer cared. He was Greek. In her eyes, he was no different from the soldiers who had just tried to make her their slave. She quickly slapped away his hand. Achilles was startled by this and picked it up. He tried again, only to be rejected. He wrenched the rag from the floor that was now covered in sand and threw it into Briseis's lap. She glared up at him, ready for him to explode at her, but he simply stood and let out a slightly raspy breath. It made Briseis feel flustered that she could have this affect on him. She then turned her attention to the rag resting on her right ankle. She dipped it in the water from the basin and began to clean her face. She found, however that it was rather difficult to clean herself when she could not see where she needed to be cleaned. She did not dare ask Achilles now; he seemed to be lost in thought as he changed into his nightclothes. She did the best she could by using her reflection in the water's surface.

Achilles turned to her, now having time to cool off slightly. He grabbed a platter made from silver. Briseis tried her best not to look him in the eyes, realizing that he could very well be angry with her yet. Instead she looked at the contents of the platter. She never noticed that the platter was made from fine, lustrous silver that glimmered in the dim light of the tent. "Eat," Achilles said bluntly. Briseis started a bit, but quickly recovered her composure. She didn't want a repeat of the first time he had offered her something to eat. She quietly took a grape from the cluster and put it between her lips. "Did they hurt you?" Achilles inquired.

Briseis finally raised her eyes to look at him. "What do you think?" she replied more harshly than intended.

Achilles seemed not to notice her tone and continued on "I saw you fight them. You have courage."

"To fight back when people attack me? A dog has that kind of courage." She said incredulously.

"I like dogs more than people." Achilles replied oddly. Briseis was intrigued and looked straight into his eyes. Not many people could look at him this way, and for once in his life, Achilles felt mildly uncomfortable under someone else's gaze.

"And why did you choose this life?" Briseis went on with the conversation.

"What life?" Achilles said as he looked down at an apple on the platter.

"This..." she looked around as if searching the right words to say it "to be a great warrior."

"I chose nothing. I was born and this is what I am." He answered.

"But you must enjoy it if you continue to do so?" she prodded.

"Does the scorpion feel joy when he stings the beetle? I doubt it. I doubt he feels anything at all."

"But you're not a scorpion. You're a man." Briseis argued.

"And you're a woman in love with a god." He mused. "Where was Apollo when those men tried to scar you?"

Briseis paused before answering. "Do you enjoy provoking me?"

"Yes." They sat there like that for a while. Briseis was no longer amused, it was all just a game to him. And she was his latest opponent. "You've dedicated your life to the gods, yes?" He said finally. "Zeus, God of Thunder. Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. You serve them?"

"Of course." Briseis was unsure where he was going with this.

"And Aries, God of War, who blankets his bed with the skins of men he's killed?" Achilles smirked slightly at his own genius.

Briseis can think of nothing to say, she's caught in the trap he set. She paused in thought for a moment. "All the gods are to be feared and respected." All they could do was stare at each other, but the air between them seemed so intense. Briseis was the first to turn away as she looked down again at the food before her. "What do you want here in Troy? You didn't come for the Spartan queen."

"I want what all men want. I just want it more." He replied staring off into space.

Briseis was unsure how to respond and so she simply stared off into space too, hoping to catch a glimpse of the world he saw. "I'll tell you a secret—something they didn't teach you in your temple." Briseis was fascinated with this and listened intently. "The gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because every moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful for the doomed." He paused to look at her before going on. "You will never be lovelier than you are right now. And we will never be here again."

It seemed to her that there was some hidden meaning buried beneath those last words, but she thought nothing of it. Briseis looked down to a grape between her fingers. "I thought you were a dumb brute." She looked up to Achilles. "I could have forgiven a dumb brute."

* * *

DUN DUNN DUNNN! What will happen next? I'm not quite sure yet, so DON"T ASK ME! If this isn't long enough, I'm sorry. If this wasn't good enough, I'm sorry. If this doesn't indent, I'll shoot myself. Just kidding, I wouldn't cuz you people would actually miss me, for a minute or two…… 

**Pretty Unknown: **thanks for the support! I'm definitely going to keep this story going, girl scouts honor.

**Silverfated: **Why thank you!

**Mikitoru: **chapter seven was pretty long, or atleast I thought… this one hopefully wasn't too bad.

**Love-shannen: **I'm glad to hear from you too, thanks for reviewing!

**TyedyeRin: **by any chance does that "Rin" in your name come form Inuyasha? Right on, I love that show!

Anyways, now that that's done, please let me know if I missed anyone, I'm a bit tired right now, so I'm sorry, please just ell me in your next review! Bye bye everyone, thanks for reading, and please review!


	9. The Night That Changed Everything

**When the Tables Turn **CHAPTER 9: The Night That Changed Everything

(Sounds like a cheesy theme to prom, I know…)

This is more than likely the chapter that everyone has been waiting for, right? Well at least, you'll be able to agree with me once you've read it…. I'm going to try my best to be really subtle with this, since it is PG ;) but you all know what happens, really, so I have nothing to worry about if I leave ahem "certain things" out. Well, good luck to me w/ this one, and here we go!

………………………………………………………………………………………………

GREEK CAMP

It had been a long night for the battered and beaten Briseis, but eventually, it came to an end when Achilles climbed into his bed. For Briseis, however, sleep did not come so easily. He was only toying with her. Only having his fun until he decided to kill her. He was against everything she knew, and all she ever knew of him was that he was a ruthless man who cared nothing for human decency. He killed whenever and whomever he wanted because that's simply what he did. He didn't need a reason. And this master of death was killing Briseis from the inside. The first man she thought had ever cared for her back was only playing mind-games with her. He couldn't care for her. He, a Greek warrior, simply could not have any feelings but hatred towards a Trojan priestess. And she, in turn, should feel nothing but hatred towards him. He wanted nothing from her, nothing but her death. He wasn't going to get what he wanted this time. She would beat him to it.

Achilles was lying on his back on a deerskin, he did not stir when a shadowy form knelt down beside him. Achilles' own bronze blade glimmered in the dim light of a candle, but it was not in his hands. Briseis' hands were shaking where they held the knife inches from his throat. Achilles slowly opened his eyes to find the girl beside him. "Go on."

Briseis now held the blade against his skin as if to test him. "Nothing is easier." Achilles coaxed his own demise.

"Aren't you afraid?" Briseis questioned the warrior who could be about to die.

"Every mortal dies. Today or fifty years from now, what does it matter in the face of eternity?" Achilles answered.

"You'll kill more men if I don't kill you." Briseis made it sound as though she were convincing herself not to kill him.

Achilles smirked at this. She was indecisive, not a quality of someone who would murder another. "Many of them." He answered. For several seconds it seemed that Briseis was debating about his life. She obviously decided against killing him, and brought the knife back to her lap.

"May Apollo forgive me." She whispered. Achilles put a hand on her shoulder. Briseis looked up at him, startled, to find his face mere inches from hers. Instead of recoiling, as she normally would have, she found herself pulling towards him. She could feel his hot breath caress her face. Her eyelids fluttered closed as if inviting him to her. He slowly diminished the gap between them, and she felt foreign lips on hers. For the first time that night, she restrained and pulled back from him, but it was too late. Achilles had her taste and he longed for more, with or without her permission. He used his strong arms to bind her and pulled her onto the bed next to him. She opened her eyes slowly and gazed momentarily into his crystal blue ones. She felt as if the world were melting around her. All that was left was she and Achilles. There was nothing else that mattered, the war, kings, nations: nothing.

...:Next Morning:...

Achilles watched Briseis sleep with a look that was unusual and almost strange upon his face. It was a look of caring, of love; a look that had never had the joy to grace his features before. She looked so young and fragile to him. Her face was still bruised from the night before, her eyelids fluttered as she slept. Achilles didn't even turn to look straight away when the flaps of his tent opened. It was Eudorus. The blue-eyed warrior squinted slightly as sunlight followed closely behind Eudorus' feet. Achilles put a finger to his lips and turned back to look at Briseis. Eudorus nodded and walked out of the tent. Achilles swiftly pulled the blanket over her bare shoulders. He stood and left his tent, but to his surprise, it was not only Eudorus who met him outside, but Odysseus as well.

Before the clever man had a chance to say a word, Achilles cut him off. "Have the men start loading the ship. We're going home," the great warrior ordered his right hand man. Eudorus stood his ground for a moment in shock. He looked to Odysseus as if in need of confirmation. He bowed to his commander and left nonetheless. The two remaining sought out a secluded area near the shore so they could talk in peace, if only for a little while.

Odysseus knew Achilles well. He knew the right way to speak to anyone, but even he found it unsettling to talk to a man so powerful. "You found the girl?" he began the conversation cautiously, but did not let it show in his voice.

"I found her." Achilles replied bluntly.

"Is she hurt?" Odysseus continued.

"Not as badly as those who hurt her," he replied. Odysseus smiled and shook his head slightly. '_He will never change.' _Achilles ignored his friend's reaction and stared out to the sea. His crystal eyes caught sight of a lone seagull patrolling the sky near the shore. He followed its path for a few moments before speaking again. "Do you miss your wife, Odysseus?"

"Always." The wise king answered.

"I've never missed anyone in my life. I used to think it was a weakness, needing someone else, " Achilles thought out loud.

"We all need someone else at one point in our life. Right now, Greece needs you," Odysseus replied.

Achilles let out a slight laugh. "Greece got along fine before I was born and Greece will be Greece long after I'm dead," he retorted.

"I'm not talking about the land. The valleys, the mountains – they don't care what we do. The men need you. You should have seen the slaughter yesterday,"

"I saw it. And I saw who led the men to slaughter," a look of disgust crossed Achilles' face.

"Agamemnon…" Odysseus paused, "he is a proud man. But he knows when he's made a mistake."

The disgusted look still in place, Achilles turned to look at his friend. "The man sends you to make his apologies? He doesn't understand honor. What are you doing in thrall to that pig of a king?"

Odysseus exhaled deeply. "The world seems simple to you, my friend. But when you're a king, very few choices are simple. Ithaca cannot afford an enemy like Agamemnon."

"Am I supposed to fear him?" Achilles spat a bit more harshly than intended.

"You don't fear anyone, that's your problem. Fear can be useful." He replied wisely. "Stay, Achilles. You were born for this war."

"My life is war. Is that what you think?"

"Am I wrong?" Odysseus didn't know what else to say to this proud man. Odysseus looked to him again, but Achilles was staring out to the sea once more.

"A week ago you were right. But things are less simple today." Achilles replied hesitantly.

Odysseus smiled. "Women have a way of complicating things."

"Of all the kings of Greece, I respect you most. But in this war you're a servant. And I refuse to be a servant any longer," Achilles said in sympathy of his friend.

"Sometimes you need to serve in order to lead. I learned it long ago, but I hope you understand that one day." With that, Odysseus left his friend to his thoughts.

Achilles, unsure of what to do, sat and stared at the sea that had captivated him so greatly throughout the conversation. He found the gull flying alone still. Achilles scanned the sky for any others, but the coastline was deserted. Somehow he felt an odd connection to the bird. "I feel your pain, bird. You and I are both alone and wandering. Looking for a purpose. But I envy you, bird. You are free, not like me, working for a man I hate. It's all the same to me, but then I suppose it is for you. All the days mold into the others…. It's all the same."

...:v:...

(A.N. i had a design that looked really cool for the break and it won't show up!awwww... :(

Back at Achilles' tent, Briseis woke to find the tent that had been occupied by two star-crossed lovers the night before, was empty. She clothed herself in her simple white priestess' robe. _'Am I fit to wear such a garment? After last night when…….. I not only gave in to temptation, but gave in to the enemy.' _She walked carelessly out of the tent and sat at its side. With eyes full of tears, she watched the waves crash on the sand in perfect rhythm with the last. The sky was an endless sea of blue, if she were still young and naive, she would've thought that the Aegean never ended, and was one with the sky. Among the blue, her eyes caught a speck of black. Briseis squinted into the brightness of the morning sun to find that it was nothing but a bird in flight. It soared closer and closer until it landed less than 20 feet from her, just out of reach of the breaking waves. She heard its cries, loud and almost sorrowful. Nothing like the sounds of the seabirds she remembered from childhood.

"Don't cry bird. You are the better of the two of us. No matter how bad things may seem to you, you can always sail away on the winds. You needn't worry about the troubles and cares that mortals face. All you need is a breeze at your back, and the stars to guide you. Oh, bird, to be that free." The bird tilted its head and took a few steps towards the troubled girl.

"You can go where you wish whenever you wish it, and never wonder if you should've stayed, for all you'd need to do is fly back to where you started from. I wonder if you even know all the wonderful places you've been," she said.

The bird turned its head the other way and flapped its wings, stirring up the sand beneath its feet. Briseis watched in shock as the bird flew low and landed not five feet from where she sat. It let out a cry and pecked into the sand. Briseis sighed. "Oh bird, what do I do. Does he really feel for me at all, or am I simply a mere object to him. I know what I feel, but he is so…so-difficult, so hard-headed. I fear I shall never know what he is feeling at all. I laid my heart on the line for him last night, and now he has just left again, as if it meant nothing. If I am of no value to him, can he not just let me go back to my people? Now I'm being hard-headed, if he has nothing left to do with me, he will kill me. You see bird, you have not the cares of a human… I fear of never seeing those I love again. I fear to die on these sands, these sands that seem so foreign to me. I want to die when I'm old and have lived a full life. A full life on Trojan soil, bird."

For a moment it looked as though the bird had nodded its head in understanding. Briseis closed her eyes. _'I must be delirious.' _When she opened them again, the bird was gone. She looked to the sky and saw it again in flight. "Fly free bird, so that one of us may be"

High above all theconstant movement of the battlefield, Zeus watched on in wonder………

...:v:...

(A.N. same thing with this break :(

PhEw! That one took me FOREVER to write, but why am I complaining, you're the poor people who had to wait to read it, hehe, sorry. Speaking of which: apologies! #1 sorry it took so long to write this! #2 sorry it took so long and I didn't even make it a super incredibly overwhelmingly long chapter to make it up to you. Believe it or not, I do actually plan where my endings will go, like that lovely lil cliffy you just finished there, so it's hard to just "POOF" make it longer. And #3 I am sorry 100 times over for how badly Achilles' lines to the bird sucked, I had them written out on paper when inspiration struck one day, and they got misplaced, but I'm happy with Briseis' confession to the "bird" (hint hint) so yeah, sorry. You all have a coupon for one free punch to my face, ok? And now that those are done, thank you's!

**Priestess of the Myrmidon**: Yay! A review! Lol 

**Skipster-chic**: thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope you ,like this one just as much if not even more!

**Angela**: Woohoo! I'm the first one you read? Seriously:) yay! And I'm glad I inspired you to watch Troy, it's very good, you should read the book by Adele Geras as well, it's a bit different, but still very good.

**Love-shannen:** sorry, I'm tryin to stay away from the movie, but I think this chapter will be different, and so a lil more to your liking.

**Brunette Baby: **wow! Thanks! So many compliments! I hope you enjoy the rest of this story and "where it's going" BTW-Brunettes RULE!

**Gina**: you meatball head! It's about time you've reviewed this story! Lol, thanks! Oh and, only you can call me Dorothy w/out getting a swift kick in the side of the head ;)

**Moony's Number 1**: I'll hopefully be able to update more now since it's summer, but I'm not guaranteeing anything, thanks for stickin with me no matter how long it takes! I'm glad that I made an IY fan out of you! Miroku is a stud! I mean, besides the womanizing thing, but still….

**Outsider Wolf: **Thanks! The ending makes me cry too! I cry a lot though, but it is very sad. Don't worry, I'm a sucker for romance as well, though this is the first time I've attempted to make my own….

**Modern Goddess**: OK! Thanks:)

WOW! I just realized THAT WAS 9 REVIEWS! Let's work on 10 for next time? So if you read this please review it, even if you didn't like it so much, I want to know how you felt, so just take an extra minute and review for me please? Do it for my birthday. Yes today is actually me b-day, so my birthday present for all my loyal readers is this new chapter! Don't let me down! Let's get 10 reviews before chapter 10


	10. Oh, To Be Mighty and Meddlesome

Well hello there! Long time no see, eh? Wait! Don't shoot me for thinking you forgive me!

Achilles: In your dreams!

Hey! I wasn't talking to you! I was talking to the readers, although you have the right to be mad as well for me making you sit in freeze frame as I come up with the new material, but I mean, it's to be expected and I just thought that-

Random Soldier 1: Get on with the story!

Random Soldier 2: Yeah! No kidding, I can't stand like this forever!

Alright, alright! Sheesh! Without further ado, I introduce a chapter of pure fluffiness (and godliness, hehehe, you'll see what I mean), for those of you who are in to the sort.

A.N.I just decided to up the rating, just to be safe….not that you really care, you just want to read it, yeah anyways….

**When the Tables Turn**-Chapter 10-Oh To Be Mighty and Meddlesome

LAST CHAPTER.. High above all the constant movement of the battlefield, Zeus watched on in wonder…

Meddling in the affairs of mortals had never really been an interest to him, but it seemed that if Aphrodite could find joy in it, then he could as well. It was implied that during such an epic time of war, that Ares could be seen walking among the common folk. He even talked to them if he wished, and simply erased the recollection of ever meeting him from their feeble minds. They were, after all, Gods, creators of all that humankind knew and loved. They had given life to them, and could take it away if they wished it. Why should they not inspect how their miracles were being used in everyday life? Then again, Zeus was most powerful and father of all Gods, and surely he should not enjoy in spending the day with a mortal, but his ideal changed. He often found a beautiful young trumpet to follow if she took his fancy, but today, he felt it necessary to observe two people that had been occupying much of Aphrodite's time. Briseis: Trojan priestess to Apollo, and Achilles: fierce warrior of Greece.

He had seen great sorrow and confusion from either of them, and wondered if Aphrodite was really more for causing them pain, then love, as she should. Perhaps he, Zeus, mightiest of Gods, should set her straight.

…Mount Olympus…

Far from where Zeus flew, the lady Aphrodite cackled in amusement. It was not that of an evil woman, but more so of a woman enjoying herself beyond compare. She knew where Zeus was, and cared not for his meddlesome mind. "He can carry no power over me. He does not understand, nor control the ways of love, nor will he ever. He can find his own fun, and besides, should I not have something to amuse myself with? It is war, and so one would think love could not conquer, but I have proven that already false. Look at Paris and Helen! Their love is said to have caused this war-"

"Give yourself what credit you want, lady, but this war was not started by you." Pallas Athene emerged from the darkness of Aphrodite's lair. "This war was started by foolhardy old men. Menelaus, his pride tainted, cares no more for his wife then for an expensive vase that is pretty to look at. He and his brother, Agamemnon, wanted nothing more than an excuse to fight the Trojans, who stood against them for so long. They are greedy and power-hungry, they start wars for themselves and their pride, not for others."

Aphrodite pouted childishly. "Oh must you always be that way, Athene? So serious? Why not have some fun with me?"

Pallas Athene stared blankly at the elder goddess. "I believe that your definition of fun and mine are quite different, my lady."

"Don't call me that. It makes me feel old! I have a name, so use it," she teased. "Now, won't you come and watch young love with me? That will be fun, won't it?"

Athene was not convinced. Aphrodite was never so friendly to others unless it had some hidden advantage to her. Then again, the war may simply be wearing on her nerves, making her seem a bit frazzled. Perhaps there was nothing more to it than to humor her. Still, "Yes, my la-Aphrodite," she murmured cautiously.

(A.N. this is completely irrelevant, but dude! We're in a tornado watch and "golf-ball sized hail" is heading straight for us... oh- and rotating clouds! I want to get this done and updated before we get blown away! Just kidding, ok, anyways...)

Aphrodite walked out to the veranda of the castle on Mount Olympus. A basin had been placed precariously on the edge of the hand railing. Aphrodite waved her heavily jeweled hand over the murky water in the basin. It did nothing at first, and then rippled and cleared to show, not the reflection of the woman standing above it, but a scene that Aphrodite found quite familiar. Athene came to stand slowly at the Goddess' side. Aphrodite smiled and looked down into the basin when her expression became unreadable. Pallas Athene leaned and peered into the liquid and her eyes narrowed to a squint when she saw what the Goddess of Love saw.

…:v:…Achilles Tent…:v:…

Briseis had gone back inside and laid down on the bed again to rest her eyes. She heard Achilles approach, but did not get up. She felt him standing over her and opened her eyes to smile at him. To her surprise, he returned the smile, even if it was a slight one. He took her hand in his and stroked the heel of her thumb with his.

Briseis was slightly in shock at his tender behavior, but decided not to waste it. "Am I still your captive?" she asked softly.

"Captive is such a harsh word. You are my guest," he replied.

"In Troy, guests can leave whenever they wish."

Achilles knelt beside where she lay. "Strange custom." Achilles, still holding Briseis' hand, turns the palm to face him. He traces a finger along the lines. Briseis felt a shiver go up her spine at the contact.

"You've never worked the fields. Never chopped wood, never carried a milk pail. These are the hands of royalty." He did not look at her, merely observed her smooth hand. Achilles replaced her hand to where it had lay on her stomach and turned his over for her to look at.

"My hands are gates to the underworld. All my life I've walked with Hades. But I grow tired of his company." He paused for a moment to take her hands in his again. Briseis sat up and looked into the crystal blue orbs that were his eyes. "Come with me to Larissa," he said finally.

Briseis smiled at this. "Larissa." She said thoughtfully. "Is that where you're from? It's a pretty name." Briseis was still looking him in the eyes, though his gaze was elsewhere. She bore into them, trying to find their hidden emotion. She had always been able to tell someone's true feelings through their eyes.

"I thought I'd never see it again." Briseis saw in them now, a deep love, love for his city of Larissa, for his home. "Before I left for this war my mother told me my fate." Now they showed pain.

"She speaks with the gods?" Briseis prodded.

"She knows many things." He exhaled deeply. Briseis tore her eyes away from his; she did not wish to know his feelings anymore. They were more than her heart could bear. "She told me if I stayed home I'd have a long, peaceful life. And if I came to Troy, life would be short... but my name would never be forgotten."

"And you chose Troy." It was not a question, but there was one underlying it, '_Why _did you choose Troy?'

"But what if Fate brought me here for another purpose?" he interrupted her thoughts. "What if I had to go to war to find the peace I have longed for?" His voice faltered, and Briseis could not help but to look into his eyes once more. "To find you?" He finally looked at her to find tears in her eyes. He reached a hand up and stroked her cheek until one fell from each eye. In which time, he wiped them from her face. She brought her hands to either side of his head and pulled him to her.

It was strange how this kiss could be so different. It was an exact opposite to the kisses of last night. They had been full of passion and hunger, Briseis could feel heat rising to her fair face at the memory, but this kiss was loving and tender, chaste yet long enough to satisfy them both. All the questions that had plagued her, seemed to disappear from her mind instantly. They broke apart and he wrapped his arms around her. She tousled his golden hair affectionately, and for a moment, they simply looked at each other. Achilles leaned his head down onto her shoulder like a little boy, and she continued to stroke his hair. They stood like this for a minute or so until noises outside the tent rang out. Achilles raised his head from her shoulder and listened intently. She dropped her hands to his shoulders and watched as his face hardened again.

…Mount Olympus…

Aphrodite waved her hand in the opposite direction across the basin of water. "You see what I find so amusing?" she asked her companion.

Pallas Athene only stared at Aphrodite in wonder. "Yes," she answered simply and turned on her heel and left the Love Goddess. '_This_ is what she has been doing this whole time? What a waste!' She thought as she stormed out the castle. 'I simply _must_ speak to Ares of this.'

Aphrodite turned back to the basin and sighed. "Well, she didn't enjoy that nearly as much as I did I can see. Sometimes I believe that no one really understands me. No matter, I grow tired of observing. I must think of what I should do to test our young lovers… Hmmm, this could be a curious match indeed…." And with that, Aphrodite, the most conniving and meddlesome of Goddesses, leaned her elbows on the railing and stared out into the mist, deep in thought.

…:v:…

Mwuahaha! You didn't think that Briseis and Achilles would get along so easily from here on in, did you? Ah my dearest friends, unfortunately, that is what we like to call a plot twist….. How did ya like the tender moment between Briseis and Achilles? I thought I'd give ya one since the next few chapters are going to be some trials and tribulations for those of you who know the movie well enough to recognize. Ok! On with the Thank you's!

**Priestess of the Myrmidon: **thank you, glad to see you reviewed! Me the Review monster! Me LOVE reviews! Hehe, hope you liked this chapter!

**Gaby: **thanks for reading it all the way through, lots of people are doing that…anyways, sorry I can't give you the description you wanted, I should've upped the rating before that last chapter, and just gone into more description…crap! You gotta tell me this stuff BEFORE I do something stupid, oh well, thanks for reading, and I hope you like this chapter!

**Moony's number 1: **Yay! I'm glad you're happy with the "subtleness" I'm a big fan of hugely graphic detail either… well I updated again, so there it was, and hope you liked it.

**Massie: **thanks! And I hope I can too! LoL

**Nikki81: **eh, who needs to sign in anyways! And well, we'll just see if I am "disinclined to acquiest to your request." Hehehe, Pirates of the Caribbean, good stuff!

**Modern Goddess: **no no no, your last review made me laugh in fact. Thank you very much, I like fluffy stuff as much as the next person, and writing them is fun: ) BTW- I couldn't tell you if I was going with the ending or not, that would just be no fun, but I can tell you that I cried as well! "Remember Me" didn't help, it's just so sad. That's the day I fell in love w/ Josh Groban's voice… sigh

**Arawen: **cool! Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as the last 9, YAY! I'm in the double digits finally!

**Pretty-Unknown: **THANKS! I'LL TRY!

If I forgot anyone, let me know! Well, that wasn't the 10 reviews I wanted, but we're getting there! That's 8, that only leaves……… uhh, take the……..carry the two…..subtract the….uhhhh…..ermm…. holds up 2 fingersThis many! Thanks again to all who reviewed, I might get into the triple digits for reviews by the end of this story! Please review after reading, I accept anonymous reviews! I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to say, but I can't remember them…..errr…. Oh! Sorry! It took way too long to get this out! You see, I suffer from what I like to call LAWS, more commonly known as Lazy Ass Writers' Syndrome, but that's no excuse for this taking so long, but I am working on another fic that I just started, so it's taking a lot of my time. Speaking of which, if you know the Sailor Moon Storyline, check out my new fic called "Home Is Where the Heart Is" it's a Harry Potter Sailor Moon crossover. Ok, peace and love to all (hehe, sounds like Christmas or sumthing) and happy reading!


	11. Love Is Pain

LALALA! Yes, kiddies! It's another chapter for your viewing enjoyment! Hehe, I've always wanted to say that! There's nothing like a chat at 12 o'clock over the phone from your friends to get your story going again! Shout-outs for that! You guessed it, Gina and Brienna, this chapter is for you! Plus, I'd feel guilty if I didn't start getting out another chapter before I get too preoccupied back in the insane asylum (you might know it better as school?) Since I don't update as often when I'm there, but then again, everyone needs something to think about while in solitary confinement… All things considered, and rambling over, here is:

**_When the Tables Turn- Chapter 11: Love Is Pain_**

**_­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

_**

Shouts could be heard all across the battlefield. The two lovers still stood in an embrace, but one that seemed to have lost its feeling. Achilles eyes narrowed as he tried to concentrate on the commotion happening outside of his tent. Briseis took his hands in her's and looked into his distant eyes. Through the immense noise going on, Briseis caught a few choice phrases and words.

"Arms down!….. Fall back, men." Someone called in the distance.

"Back to the beach!"

"To the city!"

"You heard the man, arms down!"

Achilles and Briseis shared the same genuinely confused look. Achilles locked eyes with her for a brief moment and then turned and left. Briseis opened her mouth to call after him, but could think of nothing to say that would make him stay with her.

…:…Battlefield…:…

* * *

All the fighting has ceased, but the battlefield is anything but peaceful. Everyone has turned their attention to Hector standing above a fallen warrior. Odysseus kneels besides the soldier as Hector wedges the hilt of his sword underneath his helmet. Hector reveals the identity of the man to be not the rightful owner of his armor. The man that Hector had thought he was fighting, the soldier that the Greeks had looked to, was none other than Patroclus, in Achilles' armor. Hector's face softened considerably at the sight of the young boy. Odysseus stood with a look of pure sorrow on his face. He and Hector looked at one another for a moment, lost for words. At long last, Hector spoke "I think that's enough fighting for one day." Odysseus nodded in response, clearly still in shock over what has happened. Eudorus hurried over and takes Odysseus' place, kneeling beside the boy. Hector turned away and mounted his horse. He then commanded the army back to the city. Odysseus watched silently until he called to Hector, who was nearly out of earshot. "It was his cousin." He said solemnly. Both sides began moving slowly back to camp. Some in shock, some angry, and some yet with fear in their eyes. Eudorus hurried over and knelt beside the fallen warrior. He reached out slowly, with shaking hands, and closed Patroclus' eyes.

He felt a hand clasp his shoulder and looked up to see that Odysseus stood silently above him. "We were going to sail home at noon."

"I don't think anyone is sailing home now," Odysseus sighed.

..:Greek Camp:..

* * *

Eudorus walked up cautiously towards Achilles' tent. The other Myrmidons were beginning to remove their armor behind him, all unable to look in the direction of where their captain abided. "Achilles!" Eudorus called to him finally. Achilles emerged with his blue robe wrapped loosely around him. He looked around until his eyes found Eudorus. Briseis followed him out of the tent and stood near its entrance as Achilles made towards his captain.

Eudorus bowed to his commander who in turn examined him with an unreadable look painting his face. Achilles' eyes traveled from his sweaty, dirt-strewn face to his bloodstained armor. "You've been fighting."

"My lord –" Eudorus started.

"You violated my command."

Eudorus attempted to explain. "No, my lord. There was a mistake."

"A mistake?" Achilles' voice rose slightly. "I ordered the Myrmidons to stand down. You led them into combat?"

"I-I didn't lead them." He stammered.

"Then who did?" He asked Eudorus, his tone getting annoyed.

"We thought…… you did."

The air between them changed instantly. Achilles could tell that something was amiss. He looked around at his Myrmidons. None could look back at him. They were all quiet. "Where's Patroclus?"

"We thought it was you, my lord. We—he wore your armor. Your shield, your grieves, your helmet." Eudorus struggled with the words. Achilles stared at him questioningly with such intensity that he could have bore a hole through the man, but he already knew what was to be said next. "He is dead, my lord."

"Liar! You're lying."

"No! Never, my lord. Never. He looked like you. He even moved like you. We all followed –"

"Lies."

"H-He fought well, my lord. With great courage. But H-Hector came after him." Achilles looked away to the sky. Tears are now visible in his eyes. "If I could have saved him-I—" Eudorus was interrupted by Achilles' fist to the side of his face. The captain fell to the ground and Achilles loomed above him, fists clenched. Eudorus held his mouth as blood began to stream out.

"Liar!" Achilles cries again.

"My lord," Eudorus tried to compose himself, "I saw him fall." Achilles took Eudorus by the hair and pulled him up to his knees. He took Eudorus' sword from its sheath and raised it above his head. Briseis rushed from behind him and took his hand in her's.

"Don't!" she cried.

He turned and snatched her neck with his free hand. Her eyes widened in shock as he lifted her feet from the ground slightly. She gasped for breath and kicked out her feet while desperately clawing at his arm.

As if being broken from a trance, Achilles dropped her. Her body crumpled underneath her and she gasped and sobbed where she lay. Achilles dropped Eudorus' sword to the sand. The captain remained on his knees, watching his commander's every move.

"Dead?" Achilles asked distantly.

Eudorus nodded slowly. "Hector cut his throat."

Achilles picked up Eudorus' sword once more and made his way toward a fire where the Myrmidons where beginning to make their dinner. He reaches his free hand into the soot and blackens his face with it. All anyone could do was stare as he walked to the sea. He continued to walk even when the water slapped against his feet, then his knees, and soon his stomach.

The waves crashed down menacingly, but Achilles simply stared at them as they threatened to crash down on him. He swung the sword through the surf, slicing the tops off the waves. He grunted fiercely as he brought down each new swing of his weapon. The Myrmidons still stared in awe at their commander.

Achilles battles Poseidon.

..:Later:..

* * *

Achilles stood, clean now, next to the body of his cousin. Achilles scrubbed away all the dirt and blood of the battlefield. His composure visibly diminishes as he gently wiped around the wound to the boy's throat. Achilles slid the shell necklace over Patroclus' head.

Agamemnon stood with Nestor among the rest of the Greeks. He watched the scene with barely concealed excitement. "That boy just saved the war for us."

Once Patroclus had been cleaned, Achilles pulled two large golden coins from a pouch and placed them over Patroclus' closed eyes. He kissed the boy's brow and stepped back. Eudorus gave him the torch. Achilles hesitated. He took one final look at his beloved cousin and set the pyre ablaze.

..:Later:..

* * *

Achilles still stood, watching as the last of the logs burn into embers on the pyre. He began to go to his tent, when he noticed Briseis. She had fallen asleep in the sand. He noticed the dark bruises along her throat where he had grabbed her earlier that day. He looked at her for a moment, and then turned away.

Eudorus is asleep outside Achilles' tent and woke to find his commander standing over him.

"Eudorus."

Eudorus was still groggy and disoriented, but he soon registered his master's voice and rose to his feet.

"My lord."

"I need my armor."

* * *

Holy Monkies! Now there's a long chapter if I've ever written one…..LooksNope, haven't. Well, now I have! Alrighty, I guess I can't really think of anything to say, ummm, I had a bit of trouble w/ the verb tenses in this again, so if you noticed anything screwy, let me know….. And now, straight on to the thank you's!

**DeathDealerChica**: thank you for reviewing Chapters 1-3, I hope you like the next ones just as much! Whoot! 

**Picklesrawesome**: Pickles ARE awesome, haha! You've never seen Troy? I propose a movie marathon, right now! Thanks for the reviews!

**Moony's number1**: man I just wish I could tell you all what happens, but that wouldn't be any fun! Thanks for the review!

**G**: Keep reading. In the meantime, I'll talk to the boss and see what I can do…. LoL

**Priestess of the Myrmidon**: Bad Aphrodite, bad! Haha, sorry I didn't put her more in this, I love the idea that she misused her power, I mean, if you could make anyone fall in love with anyone else, I think it's safe to say that we'd be a little evil….hehehe Thanks!

**Coaltrain**: You stud! Haha! Gotta love sign language, and making up our own when they don't make one for Sirius….haha, and what do you mean you only read the first 3 chapters! Never Leave Fanfiction Lying around is 45 freakin chapters!

**JamieGirl**: Well thank you! As for your question, I can't give anything away, but let's just say I love plot twists ;)

**Colorguard06**: I'm glad I have you hooked! Now here's the update you wanted, sorry it took so long!

**Jean**: ok….. here ya go!

**Update**: haha, nice name! Why does everyone ask me this! Don't you want to just read and find out what happens! I still love ya of course! Just keep reading!

**Modern Goddess**: Josh Groban is a stud! Anyways, glad you liked it, unfortunately, of you've read this far, that means you already know what's going on outside the tent note to self, put thank you's BEFORE the chapter so I can torture everyone because I know what happens and they don't…. thanks for the review!

**Pretty Unknown**: I know, they're so cute aren't they? Thanks for the review!

Thanks again everybody for all the lovely reviews! Look at all those! That's CWAZY MAN! Also, thanks for waiting so long, and well, I guess sorry for that too… Well, until next time

..:Litakino22:..


	12. Know Honor

Hey guys! Before the angry mob ensues to rip and tear me to shreds, let me apologize. It's been an incredibly, horribly, disgustingly long time since I updated, I know… I was just sitting around watching a movie the other day thinking _'I know I'm supposed to be doing something. What was it again? Transcription? Oh yes! Fanfiction! OH $#!&' -_Insert comical scene where I stand up abruptly from the couch and spill popcorn all over the floor, trip over several chairs while my mom is yelling about the popcorn as I race to the computer- No, but really, I just recently had a family crisis and my Grandma passed away, and I'm really hoping that you guys will all still read this chapter. These chapters take a lot out of me, so please understand that I can't update every other week like some authors do, although that would be pretty SWEET!. Thanks a bunch for sticking with me, and please enjoy this next installment.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the main characters. If you don't recognize a name, I probably made them up for the sake of the story. Many of the quotes come from the first draft script of the movie, and that's about it.

Oh, and "Angry Mob," you may now continue your pursuit and eventual mauling of me. Happy Hunting!

..:v:..When the Tables Turn Chapter 12: Know Honor..:v:..

Eudorus stood in silence and dignity outside the tent of his respected lord. Apollo's chariot brought the sun up red against the clouds of the sky and still he waited. He had helped Achilles dress and armor himself, but Achilles had asked his faithful captain to leave him. Finally, when the sun's light had begun to heat the sand of the battlefield, Achilles emerged strapping the greaves onto his left arm: the last of his armor.

Eudorus led the way to two Myrmidons preparing Achilles' chariot. The sunlight, now bright in the early morning, glints from Achilles' armor as well as the black coat of the horse tethered to his chariot; Eudorus squinted into the reflections of them both to look at his lord. The time seemed to stop as Achilles stepped onto the chariot and took the leather reigns handed to him. He stood like a regal king atop his throne in all his glory, and stared at the walls of Troy. His Myrmidons were transfixed for that moment and turned to hear a golden eagle shriek as it soared alone above the city. Not taking his eyes off the golden creature, Achilles muttered softly, "Rope."

The Myrmidon who had given him the reigns hurried forward again and handed him a braided segment of rope with a bowed head. The two Myrmidons backed away, but Eudorus slowly made his way towards the chariot. "No," Achilles said finally turning his head. "This battle is no one's but mine." Eudorus lowered his eyes. Achilles' piercing gaze softened as it caught something behind Eudorus and the Myrmidons.

Briseis stepped slowly into view. Her light colored robes billowed behind her in the slight breeze and it appeared to Achilles like a dream, and she a radiant goddess coming to warn him of things to come. They stared at each other in silence as she approached him. She stopped in front of the chariot as if to block his descent. She fearlessly ran her hand down the neck of the great black horse and it snorted in response. Achilles looked down at her from his chariot through half-lidded eyes. "Don't go," Briseis said mournfully. She continued to walk along the side of the horse, running her small hands against its smooth coat in the process. She refused to look at him, and in turn gave the impression that she was pleading with a horse. She struggled with the words and so spoke plainly. "Hector is my cousin. He is a good man. Take me to Larissa with you, but don't fight him. Please." She paused and thrust her head upward to look at him. Her vision was clouded with bitter tears threatening to fall to the parched earth. She choked on her words and they came out in barely a whisper that only Achilles could hear. "We could have a life together, but not if you choose this path. You can walk away from it, from war. _We_ can walk away." By the time she had finished, a single tear had begun its path down the side of her face.

Achilles looked from her to the wall, from the wall to the leather reigns he held, and finally from the leather in his calloused hands to the pyre that was still slightly smoking. His eyes turned cold again and he slapped the leather against the horse's back. It reared its head back and trotted off towards Troy. Briseis fell to her knees. Her thick brown hair hung down about her downcast face, shielding it from view, but it couldn't shield the tears that now fell freely to the sand. They disappeared on its surface as quickly as they had fallen.

..:v:..

Inside of the walls, the city was stirring. Sons and daughters of Troy clambered to the wall to watch the approaching chariot. Priam and the royal family were already seated and had been for a time now. Andromache sat to the right of the old king in her best maroon robe. Paris, hands writhing in his lap, was to his left in a belted navy blue tunic. Helen in billowing sea foam fabric reached a hand across and covered his hands with hers.

They watched with bated breath as Achilles halted the black horse not 100 yards from the wall and stepped out of his chariot. Paris suddenly stood and left without a word. Everyone avoided looking in his direction or in Helen's but she paid no mind and watched him go down the wall to where his brother stood between the archers.

Achilles had removed his helmet and walked nearer to the walls, his chariot forgotten behind him. "Hector!" he called with his head lowered. Next to the oldest Prince of Troy, an archer notched an arrow to the string of his bow.

Hector reached out and brought the man's arms down, "No," he said simply.

"HECTOR!" The call went out again in more rage. Hector winced. Murmurs fired up along the wall as an ethereal sound met their ears. Hector watched Achilles' head rise as hundreds of Greek soldiers crested the horizon like some hellish metal wave breaking on the sand. Even with the distance, Hector could feel their eyes lock. Hector broke away from the piercing blue eyes of his enemy and went to his father. He kneeled under the canopy in front of the king. Hector kissed his hand. "Father. Forgive me for any of my offenses. I've served you as best I could."

Priam stood from the throne and took Hector's face in his hands. He tenderly placed a kiss on his son's curly hair and again on his brow. Keeping his hands in place, he looked Hector in the eyes and said, "May the gods be with you." Hector bowed and turned back into the sunlight. "Hector!" Hector turned back and father and son looked at each other for a long moment. Priam's mouth twitched and he appeared unable to say what he meant to tell, but finally, "No father ever had a better son." Hector could not respond, he simply bowed again and hurried down the wall. He passed by Glaucus, the general of the army, who bowed to him. Hector stopped.

"Apollo guard you, my prince." Hector clapped his shoulder, and continued down the wall. He sees Paris leaning against the ledge, who turned to face him. Paris found it hard to look at his brother, but drew him into an embrace. "You're the best man I know." Paris said.

"And you are a prince of Troy." Hector replied and gripped his little brother's arm tighter. "I know you'll make me proud." They looked at each other for a long moment and Hector then left. He turned to find Andromache had left his father and was standing at the top of the stairs that lead to the gates. In her arms, she held their son. Astyanax stirred in the hold of his mother and cried at the sight of his father. Hector gazed solemnly at the baby who did not even recognize his father. Hector took the bronze helmet from his head and watched in relief as immediately the boy's face changed from a screwed up look of terror to a look of recognition and happiness. Hector smiled. A son of his own. Growing up, Hector had always wished to be the kind of father that Priam was to him, and now he was leaving his own child to uncertainty. The uncertainty that by the end of the night, Hector may not be in his chambers, that he might not play with his son under the watch of his wife. A wife of his own. Everything he had accomplished, everything he had worked for and brought him joy now amounted to so little and again so much.

"You don't have to go. You don't –"Andromache choked out.

"You remember what I told you." He replied. And for the first time that day he looked, truly looked, at his beloved wife. Although she appeared today in her best robe, her hair was left down and in a tangled state. Her ebony eyes, cast downward, were rimmed red with tears and lack of sleep. He placed a hand on the side of her face and she finally looked at him. He stared intensely until she nodded in agreement. Hector knelt down to the level of his son. Astyanax took his father's fore-finger in his tiny hand and shook it with a giggle. Hector leaned forward and kissed the boys fuzzy head. He stood again and suddenly Andromache took the back of his head in her lithe hand and kissed him passionately. It was filled with emotion and memory, and though there was much to rival it, this kiss was beyond compare. Hector felt a tear slide down her face and broke away, resting his forehead against hers for a moment. He felt his own eyes cloud and turned away. Andromache closed her eyes and backed away. He continued past her down the path and never looked back.

As he neared the gates, the soldiers began to tug the chains to open the great doors of the wall. Hector could sense someone behind him and turned to find Helen. She seemed to appear as a dream, a radiant goddess standing in silent lucidity. She merely looked at him as the gates rose. Unblinkingly, he stared back. He was transfixed and could not break away until he heard the gates shudder open. She continued to gaze upon him, just as vexed by the moment as he was. Hector bowed slowly, still never breaking away from those stormy blue eyes. Even as he fitted his helmet back onto his head, he found it difficult to break free and look out onto the vast plain through the gate. He slowly made his way into the abyss. He knew that every set of eyes in Troy were watching him, but as he heard the gate close behind him, he could only think of the raging sea of blue that were Helen's.

The air was silent as Hector approached Achilles. The two solemn warriors were alone on the plain, but Hector squinted to see the horizon invaded by thousands of Greek soldiers glinting in the sun. The golden eagle still soared above. It swerved outside the city and then circled the two warriors at the center of the battlefield. Achilles stood motionless and waited for Hector to approach. Hector stopped at a safe distance from the Greek. "I've seen this moment many times in my dreams." Hector called. Achilles said nothing, but continued to stare at the prince. "I'll make a pact with you, with the gods as our witnesses." Hector raised his eyes to the sky and motioned upward with his arms. "Let us pledge that the winner will allow the loser all the proper funeral rituals." Hector waited for his opponent to react.

Achilles looked up towards the eagle again. "There are no pacts between lions and men," he replied almost conversationally. Hector could not say a word and it obviously annoyed the Greek. Achilles reached up and removed his helmet. Hector felt insulted, but tried not to let it show. "Now you know who you're fighting." Achilles spat. Hector looked up to see the pain flash through his eyes. Achilles watched Hector's every move as the prince followed suit and tossed his helmet aside into the sand.

"I thought it was you I was fighting yesterday. I wish it had been you. But I gave the dead boy the honor he-"Hector tried to explain.

"You gave him the honor of your sword." Achilles seethed in reply. He practically shook with anger. They stood there for a moment, staring silently at each other: Achilles with hatred and Hector

"You won't have eyes tonight. Neither will you have ears, or a tongue. You'll wander the underworld, blind, deaf, and dumb. And so all the dead will know: this is Hector, the fool who thought he killed Achilles."

..:v:..

DUN DUNN DUNNNNNNN! Hehehe….I'm so mean! Yikes this took forever! And it would've been out two days ago, but my dad was complaining about how much time I was spending on the computer. Yes well, I better get going on this because I have quite a few author's notes to go in here that I was too lazy to put in the appropriate spots as I was typing, and then of course I must shout out to all my lovely reviewers! These Authors Notes are for: my enjoyment, possibly your enjoyment, to clear anything up that you may have encountered whilst reading this chapter, the purpose of relieving my constant need to ramble on about pretty much absolutely nothing. And so you honestly don't HAVE to read them, but you may WANT to because it might be funny and heck, you might learn something….. I sure as hell had to……

1. I had to do a Crapload of research actually for this chapter, so thank me because school is over and I'm still things up to make this a better (and more accurate for that matter) reading experience. Anyways, the first research/A.N. is a lovely little lesson in ancient Greek war armour. "Greaves" are used to refer to the guards of outer appendages, more specifically the fore-arms and lower legs around the shins. Although the actual term "greaves" is more normally known especially in European medieval times to refer to the leg guards, the literal definition for them is anything used to guard the appendages. The specific name for fore-arm guards if you wanna get technical is vambrace, but I figured more people might know the term greaves and it just sounds cooler, but then again I am now here rambling on about them, so maybe it would've been better to just use vambrace……hmmmmm

2. I could not, Could Not, COULD NOT think of a title to this chapter, so if it sucks, which it does, I'm sorry…..

3. Ok, apparently the people who were involved in the movie didn't really do their homework before writing the first draft of the film because when I was reading it for the scene inside Troy, they listed Hector and Andromache's son as being named Scamandrius, which sent red flags up in my brain straight away. In the novel "Troy" by Adèle Geras (which I recommend you ALL read because it is an amazing story by the way) she wrote their son's name as Astyanax which you will notice is the name I used, because I found a few sites backing this name, and none for Scamandrius, plus Astyanax is cooler because Scamandrius makes me think of a salamander for some reason….. Wow, my computer thinks there are about 50 spelling mistakes because of all those awesome names! But anyways, if anyone has any more info on that, feel free to let me know, otherwise you've officially been educated.

Ok, that was enough junk to throw at you, so here are the review shout outs! Oh! Before I forget, thanks to whoever emailed me, not mentioning any names! Haha, no honestly because I don't remember who it was and I deleted it and now I feel like a big meanie, but thanks for caring and giving me a kick, even though it took forever for me to go "OWW!" and write something, feel free to email me at any time!

**Siyavash:** well here u go then, enjoy!

**Love-Hate Fanatic: **hey! I'm a love-hate fanatic too! It's really really good that you reviewed, thank you!

**Artemis: **Well I'm happy that you like it, keep reading and leaving those reviews! And good goddess choice, haha!

**Priestess of the Myrmidon: **Yay! Thanks for the review! And have I thanked you for putting me in your C2:)

**CoalTrain: **What do I even say to u! lol "Dang! So YOU'RE that one who outbid me!" Oh I'm so mean! Yeah well I can't say that I need to hear about Spencer then, because obviously I already did….But anyways, you better like this, and u better review! And get Gina to too, because she didn't last time, and now I'm mad…..anyways…….WHOOT!

**Moony's number 1: **I know what you mean, plus I thought Patroclus was pretty fine too, or am I off-base here? Lol…..yes it really is all downhill from here…..or is it? Hehehe

**Jean: **well let me give you a hint to that, since I don't just want to give it away. One of the two of them have to die, shocking, I know!

Ok, well now that all the old reviewers are taken care of, how about some new ones! I mean of course I still want the old ones to review too, but once you do, you'll be a new reviewer! Savvy? Yeah never mind, you know what to do, click that little submit review button! Until next time, much love!


	13. Departures Part I

Ummmm…..ok, hi there everyone! For once, I don't have a lovely rambling nothing to go on about at the beginning really, just a warning. This chapter gets a wee bit violent (I'm sure you know why by now…) and more than a wee bit depressing. Honestly, I didn't particularly enjoy writing it, hence why it took so long, anyway….

**When the Tables Turn…Chapter 13: Departures Part I**

* * *

As the battle raged on, both sides watched with bated breath. Greek and Trojan alike were now bound by the same fear, the same awe, the same fascination. The fear that made them want to look away, and the awe and fascination that kept them looking, bound to their spot, paralyzed. The feeling swept over the battlefield like waves of the Aegean Sea. They watched, the Greeks from the sand, the Trojans from the walls as both combatants drew their swords. Their movements seemed to be long and drawn out, as if they were each reading the other. They charged with immense intensity, and the eagle swerving above gave a screeching cry in time with the first clash of their swords. Within these first few movements, the onlookers could tell that this would be a battle like none ever witnessed on this earth.

With every swing of their sword, the warrior had only one thought in his mind: to kill. Neither wasted their energy on spins and fancy parries, but rather used their strength with the sole intent to send the one swing that will pierce metal, rip flesh, and break bone. There were no spared moments between the blows, and the rapidity soon becomes almost rhythmic. The bronze blades hissed and sliced through the air, clashing against one another for what seemed like hours on end.

In the Greek camp, Agamemnon, Nestor, and Odysseus stood side-by-side to watch, each with a unique expression of wonder. Any quarrels or qualms between the three have been forgotten, and they simply watched, their eyes following every movement of the battle of such an intensity the world has never seen before and shall never forget.

Suddenly Hector lunged and thrust forward at an opening. The Trojans stood from their seat to see the sword pierce Achilles' armor and come out through the back. Their faces were inches from each other's. Hector looked down, confused that Achilles seemed unaffected by his sword. He realized that he had not skewered the Greek at all, his bronze sword only barely penetrated the golden metal of Achilles' breastplate, allowing the Greek soldier to clamp down upon his arm holding the sword. Hector struggled in vain against Achilles' grip to free his sword, but stopped to duck a blow from Achilles aimed at his head.

Achilles abruptly released the Trojan prince and swung yet again. Hector staggered backward and Achilles stepped in to attack, but came too close. Hector lashed out defensively, catching Achilles off guard, but he jumped back and raised his sword. They locked and both combatants stood face to face. Hector was sweating and beginning to breathe heavily, while Achilles looked the same as if he were taking a leisurely stroll. Achilles shoved Hector back with a grunt. Hector, fatigued, stumbled and fell after stepping on a rock.

Achilles leered above him. "Get up prince of Troy. I won't allow a stone to take my glory." Hector obeyed and stood somewhat shakily. Mustering the last of his quickly fading strength, Hector charged. His blows achieved an explosive magnitude as he used all his might on one last swing of the sword. When the attack had subsided, Hector stopped to catch his breath for a quick moment and surveyed Achilles. Not a single new scratch was made; he had parried everything Hector threw at him.

Achilles returned the attack in a similar fashion, with Hector only possessing enough energy to block Achilles' sword sloppily with his shield. The Greek made one tremendous stab at the prince, who raised his shield in response. It all seemed as if it happened in slow motion. The bronze sword thrust forward and met the shield, piercing through it with an unearthly scraping sound. It continued and struck the metal of Hector's breastplate, breaking through it, straight into Hector's chest. Hector looked down at the blade in his body, as if disbelieving. Then he looked to Achilles.

Reactions went off simultaneously from all who were watching the battle commence. On the walls were shrieks of horror and cries of anguish. The Greeks raised fists, and beat their armor, and gave a triumphant cry for their commander. Hector's eyes never leave Achilles' unforgiving face as he sank first to his knees and then sideways into the sand.

The King and Queen of Troy had both left their seats. Hecuba covered her face in her hands, so that no one may see the tears that stained them. Priam clutched her shoulder with one hand, and his heart with his other, as if he himself had been stabbed. Andromache held her baby tight to her chest, shielding him from the sight, while one of her small hands clasped tightly over her mouth and all color drained from her face.

Down on the battlefield, Hector's face had grown white as well. Achilles stood over him in the bright sunlight. Hector shut his eyes and grimaced. He opened his mouth and blood trickled out the corner before he mustered all his remaining strength and spoke. "Achilles… I am dying beside the walls of my beloved city. Let them take me within the walls and bury me. Don't leave me here to rot… My father will give you gold. All you need do is ask and my mother will throw her jewels down from the walls if you wish, but I implore you, give my body back to them," Hector opened his eyes once more, pleadingly.

Achilles jaw clenched slightly for a moment. "You killed him." He answered. "I cannot forgive that. Ever. He was the brother I never had. He was mine to look after. Die now and I wish the dogs joy of your carcass." He spat. They looked at each other for a moment, before Hector let out a rasping breath and his head fell back against the sand, lifeless.

Achilles turned and headed back towards his chariot. Once he reached it, he gathered the rope that he had requested from his soldier before leaving the Greek camp. He threw it over his shoulder and took up the reigns. Everything became silent again and they all watched the Greek commander ride in his chariot not back to his encampment, but towards the Trojan prince once more.

All of Troy watched in horror as Achilles slit the tender flesh above the prince's ankle. Helen now stood next to Priam and Hecuba, but the great queen had sunk to her knees. Priam lowered himself to his beloved wife and shielded her eyes and his own. Helen squinted into the sun to see Achilles string the leather strips through the fresh cuts in the prince's flesh. She gracefully wiped a tear and turned. Her gaze softened when she spotted Andromache slumped against the wall, Astyanax clutched rigidly to her chest.

Helen glanced up long enough to notice Achilles strap Hector's body to his chariot. She winced and turned to Andromache. Helen took the older woman's hand and raised her to her feet. Andromache turned to her, eyes blank and endless, but Helen could see red along their dark depths. Helen clasped Andromache's free hand and bent slightly to kiss it. "Come sister, let's go inside now." Helen led a limp Andromache inside the walls.

Achilles whipped his chariot around the last curve of the walls, Hector's body leaving a rounded wake in the sand behind him. The Greek soldier steered the horse and chariot back into the Greek encampment. Greeks began to crowd around the hero. Achilles stared straight forward, avoiding eye contact with the onlookers marveling at his display with the Trojan prince's body.

Odysseus emerged from the crowd to stand in front, closest to Achilles. Achilles unties Hector from the chariot and began to drag him by hand. One of the soldiers scoffed at this sight. "The Trojan's little Prince-ling! He doesn't look so glorious now." Odysseus turned to glare at the man just before walking away in the direction he came.

Achilles reached his tent, with Hector in tow. He left the body outside and continued in where he saw a sight becoming familiar to his eyes. Briseis's back was facing him as he walked in, but she turned slowly upon hearing the entrance to the tent stir. Her palms were pressed together in prayer. She gazed up with uncertainty etched into her features, but Achilles stared straight through her. She knew what his return meant. Briseis slowly lowered her eyes in sorrow and began to sob quietly. She looked so childlike and angelic to the warrior that he can't bear to look at her in her current state. Briseis's strength has deserted her, leaving grief her only companion in the night.

A few hours later found Achilles cleaned and sharpening his sword on a spinning wheel. Briseis sat in the corner, knees pulled to her chest. She studied the man in the center for a moment. The redness around her eyes showed as a constant reminder of how much pain he could cause her, and it made him sick.

"You lost your cousin, and now you've taken mine." Briseis choked quietly. Achilles stopped running a cloth down the length of the sword, but did not look up at her. Briseis took no notice, "When does it end?"

Achilles kept his head bent, dropped the cloth in the sand and began sharpening the sword again. "It never ends," he replied ashamedly. They both finally locked eyes. Briseis rose to her feet and took a step toward him, transfixed. Achilles let the sword that had been his main focus moments ago, fall into the sand with a faint metallic sound. The remaining space between them vanished, but neither noticed nor cared.

Achilles took her face in his hand and stroked her cheek with his calloused thumb. She closed her eyes tightly and lost herself in the touch. Tears emerged from the corners of her closed eyelids. She kept her eyes closed, enraptured, even as Achilles leaned down and kissed the tears from her soft skin. He tasted the salty bitter sweetness that was her sorrow. His face moved unconsciously and she could feel his breath on her lips, ready to envelope them. Suddenly, as if waking from a nightmare, Briseis pulled away. She looked up at him with an unreadable look in her eyes that looked remotely similar to fear. Taking his hand that was resting gently against her throat; she clasped it between her own for a moment and then dropped it. Without another look, she turned and left him.

While Briseis sat outside in the darkness, staring blankly at the moonlit sea, Achilles sat in his tent, a similar look on his face and emptiness in his eyes. His back faced the front of the tent, and a stirring at the tent's flap made him turn slightly.

A figure emerged, hooded in deep blue. Achilles grasped a small bronze dagger hidden in the straps of his sandal. The faint light from a lamp burning in the corner was not enough to illuminate the figure's face. "Who are you?" Achilles demanded quietly. The figure flung back his hood to reveal an aging man. Achilles scanned the stranger and wondered if he was supposed to recognize the man's face.

The man remained wordless and approached Achilles, who stood quickly and fully withdrew the dagger. "Who are you?" he asked again, pointing the dagger towards the intruder's throat. Still he went unanswered. The old man ignored the dagger now less than a few inches from him, as he fell to his knees. He strained to grovel and Achilles' feet, avoiding the Greek soldier's eyes as if they burn him. He then took Achilles' hand and kissed it, still avoiding looking at him directly. He paused for a moment, and slowly raised his head, wincing when he finally saw Achilles' crystal blue eyes.

"I have endured what no one on earth has endured before. I have kissed the hands of the man who killed my son."

Achilles blinked in disbelief. "Priam?" He immediately helped the king to his feet.

"How did you get in here, old king? The sentries –"he began.

"I know my own country better than the Greeks, I believe." Priam cut off bitterly.

"You are a courageous man. If Agamemnon knew of your presence, he'd have your head on a spit."

"Do you really think death frightens me anymore?" The old king replied. "I've watched my eldest son die in front of the walls of his beloved city, watched you drag his body behind your chariot," he finished in anguish. For a moment, Achilles and Priam just looked at each other, and although it appeared that Priam may have broken down again, it is Achilles, who can usually make others uncomfortable under his stare, who must look away.

"Give him back to me. He deserves the honor of a proper burial. You know that as well as I. Give my son to me."

Achilles swallowed with difficulty. "He killed my cousin."

"He thought it was you," Priam argued boldly. "He defended his country as he should have, as any soldier should. How many cousins have _you_ killed? How many sons and fathers and brothers and husbands have perished at your sword? How many, brave Achilles?" He paused to gauge Achilles' reaction, but the Greek soldier had turned from him, blocking his vulnerability. This was all that the old man needed to see to proceed.

"I knew your father. He died far before his time. But he was lucky not to live long enough to witness his son fall. You have taken everything from me. My eldest son, the heir to my throne, and defender of my kingdom. I cannot change what has happened now. It is at the mercy of the gods, as is everything else on this earth, but give me this small mercy."

Achilles turned and looked at Priam's weary eyes as the old man hopelessly tried to blink back his tears. "I loved my boy from the moment I first saw him open his eyes to the world till the moment you closed them to it. Let me wash his body clean. Let me say the prayers to guide him on. Let me place two coins on his eyes for the boatman to find him."

Achilles felt the unfamiliar feelings of guilt and pity rising within him. He shut his eyes, and released as steady of a breath as he could. "If I let you walk out of here, let you take him back with you, it doesn't change anything. You are still my enemy when the sun rises in the coming morning."

"You are still my enemy tonight. But even the bitterest of enemies are at their deepest depths, human, and must show compassion. And, as warriors in battle, they can show their respect."

Achilles nodded in understanding. "I admire your courage, old man. You're a far better king than the one leading this army. Meet me outside in a moment." Priam bowed and left.

Achilles turned to the body lying in the corner of his tent, under the lamp. He approached it, unsure of what to do. Shutting his eyes, he rubbed his eyelids with his thumb and forefinger. He let out a low coughing sound, and removed his hand to reveal tears streaking down his dirtied face. Emitting the same sob, he retrieved a white sheet. He took in several deep breaths, but the tears never ceased from falling the entire time as he wrapped the sheet around Hector's body. He leaned over the body for what seemed like forever after the body was completely wrapped, his tears still falling slow, but freely. They slid down his face, collecting the dirt from his skin, and staining the whiteness of the sheet where they fell.

Between the quieting sobs of this once cold-blooded killer, Achilles uttered in hardly a whisper to the corpse of his most recent victim:

"We'll meet again soon."

* * *

Well sorry there isn't a whole lot of Achilles/Briseis going on at the moment, but honestly, did you expect me to go, _And everyone on the walls shrugged and said, "Well at least we have more than one prince." _Yeah, NO! That's not how it happened, and that's not how I'm gonna write this, because it's necessary for the story to establish what everyone feels and what everyone has to give up. And you may ask how I know that that is how it happened? …….Because… I bought a time machine, ok?

Anywho, I'm actually surprised at how many people truly read that big long AN last chapter, lol, and even more surprised at how many people responded to it! So thanks for the history lessons, the teacher has officially become the student….The annoying hyper-active student who doodles inappropriate pictures of the teacher, considers comic books as the Bible, and has enough spitballs to fill a swimming pool…hehe. Thanks to all reviewers! You're all awesome! I tried to reply to all of them, but I may have forgotten, and if so, I am sorry, I still love ya. Now review again! Review until you can't review no more! And I also discovered on my trip with my time machine that every time you do not review, a prince dies. So yeah, Hector kickin' the bucket… That's on someone's shoulders, I don't know who, but let's not kill off any more heirs, ok? Just review people!


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